Gal Pals
by Alexpv22
Summary: Lori and Leni get into a fight, after the former loses a golf game. Said fight later causes the rest of the Loud Sisters to get caught up in it all. Overwhelmed by the chaos, Lincoln escapes the house and heads downtown for some peace and quiet. There, he has a chance meeting with three of Lori's classmates. What does the future hold for Lincoln, after crossing their path?
1. Chapter One: A Rough Night

(Disclaimer: I do not own The Loud House or any of its characters. All of it is under full ownership of Nick and the Loud House creative team. So...please, don't sue me)

Chapter One

A Rough Night

Saturday night in Royal Woods; the scene opens with a shadowed figure inside of one of the houses. Slowly and silently, a round window of this house opens and a rope made from sheets descends down the wall. As the figure proceeds to slide down the wall, a loud bang sounds off inside; causing him to slip.

Thankfully, the figure wasn't that high up and managed to land softly on top of a bush. As he rolled out of the leaves with a groan, a light turns on from inside and the figure's face is revealed to be...Lincoln Loud. With a startled yelp, he quickly ran back into the bush; only reaching out to grab his backpack.

Lincoln's eyes dart side-to-side worriedly, thinking his crash would alert someone. Thankfully, all appeared to be quiet; which meant that no one seemed to notice he was outside. He lets out a quiet yet relieved sigh and then, he notices the viewers watching him.

"Oh...nice to see some friendly faces" Lincoln said with a wave, "you're probably wondering why I'm sneaking out of my own house?" He sticks is head out slight from the bush and looks at the chaos in the house. "See...my sister, Lori had a golf game today and we went to support her" he explained, "sounds like a normal Friday night for my family and I, right?"

Before he could continue, a loud crash sounded off from the window above him and a golf club went flying through the glass. This same club landed on the yard of Ol' Mr. Grouse's yard. As if on cue, the man in question stuck his head out the door and spotted the club in his rose bushes.

He gasps loudly in horror, rushes over to his precious flowers and laments the unwarranted abuse they suffered. Then, with a bitter growl; he collects the club from out of and carries it into the house. As he stomps his way back into his house; Mr. Grouse glares at the Loud House and shouts "_MY YARD, MY PROPERTY!"_

With that said, he goes back into his house and slams the door. While this was happening, Lincoln did his best to remain hidden and keep as silent as the grave. While this was going on, the inside of his house echoed with the sounds of his sisters locked in another one of their famous fights.

With so much noise going on, this gave Lincoln the chance to sneak away. He tiptoed his way out of the yard, hid behind another neighbor's garbage cans and proceeded to do this all along the block. "You're probably wondering what's going on at my house, right" he asked the viewer, "well...it all started earlier this afternoon..."

(Line Break)

The scene flashes back to earlier that day, at the town golf course. Lincoln was sitting on the sidelines; watching his eldest sister, Lori attempt to sink the final ball into the hole. Tonight was the big Royal Woods High Open and Lori had been prepping hard over the past weeks for it. Throughout the game, she had made several successful strokes.

But she also missed a few of them, earlier on. In spite of all this, she had made it to the final hole and her score had enough points to edge her closely towards winning the trophy. All she had to do was sink one last put and victory would be hers.

Everyone was a-quiver with anticipation, hoping for Lori to succeed; even Lincoln. Then, just as Lori moved her club back; the skies echoed with a fearsome blare. This sudden noise caused Lori to swing her putter with great force, sending the ball flying into a water hazard.

As Lori stared out at the pond in horror, she had failed to hear the judge declare victory for her opponent; Carol Pingrey. As she slowly came back to her senses, she turned around and bitterly demanded to know who ruined her shot. At that moment; she quickly looked over towards her sister, Leni.

She was wearing sports face paint on the left side, waving an air horn wildly in one hand and pumping up a foam finger with the other. In spite of all the times she attended Lori's games, the second eldest Loud sister almost always seemed to forget the golden rule of golf; keep...quiet! Losing a championship game was hard enough of a blow for Lori.

But losing said game to her frenemy felt worse than missing out on the biggest mall sale of the year. To say that Lori was angry with her sister would be a gross understatement. The camera suddenly flashes forward back to Lincoln, who had now found a hiding new hiding place behind someone's garden shed.

"After that loss; no one dared to speak a word, on the drive home" he stated, "but all that changed, the moment we all got in the house." At that moment, he suddenly hears a loud crash; which was followed by the blares of a guitar riff. "To make a long story short, everyone...this brought up another _'Sister Fight Protocol'_ situation" he groaned while using air quotes, "something I did _not_ want to get mixed up with again."

Lincoln went on to explain how he felt it best to...lay low from the family, until further notice. However, one glaring question had yet to be answered...where would he go or stay while his sisters were busy feuding? Before leaving, he thought about heading over to Clyde's house.

But then, Lincoln realized if he did; his BFF would attempt to "console" Lori in her "hour of distress" and he did not want to see him get hurt. Next, he considered crashing at Liam's family farm. But while it was a nice place to visit; for a suburban boy like Lincoln, it wouldn't be the best place to live (even temporarily.)

Then, he considered going off to Great Lakes City and bunking with Ronnie Anne. But that idea held _two _problems, much to his dismay. Not only did Lincoln not have enough money to take the bus there. If he _did_, somehow get to the Casagrande Residence; either Ronnie Anne's mother, her relatives or her older brother, Bobby would call up the Louds and tell them he was there.

This would, no doubt cause Lori to become even more flustered than she already was. Realizing he had few logical options left; for the moment all Lincoln could do now was walk and think.

(Line Break)

The time was now 8:30 PM and he soon found himself wandering into the downtown area of Royal Woods. He was surprised by how far he had been wandering but didn't feel too concerned, though. Lincoln had traveled to this part of town so many times, it all felt like his home away from home.

He took a look at the time on his phone and smiled, realizing that many of his favorite places would still be open now. But then, just like with the bus ticket; Lincoln realized he didn't have enough money to spend too long of a time anywhere here. "Great, what now" Lincoln groaned, "I don't have enough money to do the stuff I like and I can't go home yet...what do I do now?"

As Lincoln began to sulk over his tragedy of an evening, a vehicle suddenly pulled up along the sidewalk behind him. In that instant, Lincoln's world had suddenly been rocked by the loud "tooot" of a car horn. As this horn sounded off, headlights suddenly flashed on behind him.

This combination of things filled Lincoln with such terror, he leapt up into the air and held his hands above his head; as if he were confronted by the police. Much to his surprise, he didn't hear the sounds of grown-up police officers. Instead, his ears were filled with the soft yet jolly giggles of teenage girls.

After taking a moment to calm down and clear his vision, Lincoln got a good look at who it was that confronted him. Much to his surprise, it was none other than Carol Pingrey and two of her friends, Becky and Whitney standing behind her. "HA-HA-HA! Boy, did we get you good" chortled Carol, "you should see the look on your face right now!"

Becky and Whitney joined in on the laughter but Lincoln was not amused. As the laughter slowly died down, Becky got a good look at the boy. "Hey, I know you" she murmured, "yeah...you're Lori's little bro." Lincoln's mood softened slightly, humbled by the fact she remembered him.

They had only met twice, in the past; the first being at Lori's "sophisticated" house party and the second at the Ace Savvy Convention. During both times, he and Becky seemed to have gotten along very well. However, he had only heard of Carol and Whitney be mentioned by name by his sister.

Other than that, this was his first time meeting the others. Carol suddenly began to study the boy very intensely, which made Lincoln quite nervous. Then, she let out a soft giggle and ruffled his hair. "Yeah, I remember you" she stated, "I've seen you on some of Lori's social media pics."

In an instant, Lincoln remembered Lori's desperate desire to outdo Carol by getting more "likes" on her pictures than her. During such times, Lori would either bribe her siblings (including him) into dressing up for a photo or trick him into leaving the scene. In the end, the two girls realized their competing did more harm than good to each other.

Surprisingly, this lead to the two ladies towards becoming friends; which was something no one had expected. Needless to say, she looked like an okay gal. But Lincoln wasn't ready to lower his emotional walls just yet.

"Why are you outside at this hour...and on your own no less" questioned Whitney, "shouldn't you be at home having fun with your family or something?" Lincoln rolled his eyes and scoffed at the idea, proclaiming that home was the last place where he wanted to be at the moment. "Why would you say that, dude" Becky asked, "you wanna talk about it?"

Just as Lincoln prepared to respond, a deep gurgle erupted from his belly. He covered his arms around his gut and blushed nervously, clearly embarrassed by the fact the ladies unintentionally heard such noises. The three High School girls couldn't help but giggle at this.

"Sounds like somebody's a little hungry" Carol implied, "didn't you have dinner before coming out here?" Still feeling cautious, Lincoln confessed that he left home just minutes before dinner was even served on the table. This revelation caused the ladies to gasp in shock.

"Why didn't you eat before you left home" questioned Carol, "didn't your family make dinner yet." Lincoln looked up at them nervously and confessed that his parents would've, probably been too nervous to set foot in the kitchen to serve anything. Feeling even more confused, Carol insisted Lincoln to tell her what happened.

"Let's just say...she didn't accept her earlier loss at the golf game with grace" he replied, "she would've won, if Leni hadn't interrupted her swing." While not going into too much detail; Lincoln _did_ however, reveal that the loss resulted in the two aforementioned sisters getting into another big fight. "I had to escape, in order to not get caught up in the chaos" he stated, "I've got enough bruises, bumps and indents on my body from past incidents to help remind me of that."

This explanation only caused the ladies to recoil viciously in horror. "I know Lori had some issues with me beating her before" Carol admitted, "but allowing her ill behavior to affect other members of her family, _especially_ her only brother...that's going too far." Becky and Whitney unanimously agreed with their friend and vowed to give the girl in question an earful about all this, come their next meeting.

In an instant, they all suddenly remembered who was in trouble now and looked down at Lincoln. Carol scratched her chin slightly and her brow furrowed deeply in thought, as she pondered on what to do with him next. Then, not a moment later; an idea began to form in Carol's mind.

"Hey...uh...Lincoln, is it" she asked suddenly, earning a soft nod in response from the boy. "I'm guessing you've heard of Gus' Games n' Grub, right" she asked, earning another nod from Lincoln. This caused a small smile to appear on Carol's face.

"Sweet! How's about we head on over for some fun and food, huh?" she offered, "you look like you could use a little of both tonight." Naturally, Lincoln agreed to the offer and that he _was_ in need of something to help brighten his mood a little. At the same time, though; he was surprised to hear that Carol or her friends knew about the place.

"What, did you think teens didn't like video games and garlic knots too" Becky asked in a mockingly accusing tone, "sometimes, even _we_ like to let out our inner kids again." Lincoln was greatly surprised by this turn of events, to say the least. After so many years around his sisters, you would think he'd learn to never be fooled by appearances (physical or emotional.)

But he never imagined such a lesson would apply to other people as well. With that in mind and his stomach loudly demanding to be fed, Lincoln accepted Carol's offer to go to Gus' and climbed into their car. He took a moment to place his backpack on the floor, before buckling his safety belt.

After that, Carol revved up the engine and they were off. "Get ready, Lincoln" Carol cried with glee, "we're gonna have a blast tonight!"

(AN: This story was requested by one of my reviewers/followers, crafordbrian17. I hope that, when you read this first chapter, it will meet your expectations.  
Anywhoozer, what do you all think will happen next? Will Lincoln find new female figures to bond with in these ladies or will his mind be too far gone by the stresses of home? Tune in next time, to find out)


	2. Chapter Two: Games, Grub, Girls and Gab

Games, Grub, Girls and Gab Sessions

After fifteen minutes of driving, Lincoln and Co. had reached their destination; Gus' Games & Grub. Lincoln sighed blissfully, as the delicious smell of garlic knots filled his nostrils. As Lincoln unbuckled his safety belt, Whitney had already opened the door for him and helped the boy out of the car with a smile.

"Uh...thanks, Whitney" Lincoln murmured shyly, "but you didn't have to do that, I could've gotten the door myself." The high school girl giggled softly and ruffled his hair; assuring him that it was no trouble at all. After that, they joined up with the others and burst through the arcade doors.

Once inside, Lincoln could feel himself becoming calmer and more relaxed. The familiar sounds of games beeping, kids laughing and air hockey pucks being slammed into the goals helped bring back Lincoln to his chipper self again. _"Man, it feels like I've been away from this place for ages"_ Lincoln thought to himself, _"time to make up for lost time."_

At that moment, a shocking realization struck him like one of Lynn's right hook punches. With a startled yelp, he began to fish about his pockets frantically. _"Ah! Dang it"_ he murmured dejectedly, _"I got so excited about coming here...I completely forgot I don't have any money on me!"_

As if on cue, he heard a whistle ring out from the prize booth. _"You low on cash, little man"_ asked a female voice, _"I can help you out."_ Upon hearing this, Lincoln turned to find someone waving at him from the booth. It was a young woman, wearing a typical uniform for arcade workers.

She had short brown hair, red lipstick, and wore dangling white earrings on her ears. Nervously, Lincoln approached the booth and told the woman that he was indeed strapped. Surprisingly, the woman showed him sympathetic pity towards him and offered Lincoln thirty dollars worth of quarters.

"Wow, you're giving me _that_ much" he exclaimed, "thanks...really, I just don't know how I'll repay you." The woman giggled softly, patted Lincoln's head and assured him that it was okay. "Consider it a repayment for when you helped your sister out here, way back when" she stated, "my coworkers and I thought it was really sweet."

With that, she bade Lincoln goodbye and went back to her duties. Lincoln's mind raced slightly, upon being reminded of that day. Though it felt like ages ago, he remembered it all very vividly.

His sister, Lori (thanks to his help) had taken up a job here; ages ago. Then, Fate dealt him a bit of a bad hand; as Chandler (a popular kid from school) got the wrong idea that Lincoln was getting free service from a worker. To make a long story short, he tried to Lori to give everyone free service.

This led to her working up a debt so high, the only way she could pay it back was by spending the money she was saving for a dress. One that she hoped to wear for a dance she had been waiting weeks for. In the end, Lincoln felt guilty for doing all this to her and offered to work her extra shift for a time.

Despite having worked there for only a short period. Lincoln was happy he made a positive impression at the place among the workers. As he made his way towards a basketball hoop game, a voice suddenly called out to him..._"Lincoln?"_

Alas; due to the electronic sounds in the atmosphere, the voice's call fell on deaf ears. Lincoln smiled excitedly, as he prepared to make the first shot. But then, his focus was disturbed by a hand suddenly tapping on his shoulder.

With a loud yelp, Lincoln threw the ball high into the air; which had (miraculously) landed cleanly through the hoop. Having recovered from his earlier shock, Lincoln smiled at getting a basket on his first try. "Heh! Guess Lynn isn't the only master of the hoop in the family" he chuckled while patting himself on the back, "wonder if I can get another one?"

As he prepared for his next shot, Lincoln could hear the voice calling out to him again. This time, however; it seemed much closer and rather...familiar. _"Lincoln, are you listening to me"_ questioned the voice in a mock offended tone, _"it's rude to ignore someone, when they're talking to you."_

Lincoln gulped nervously at the tone; having heard similar statements from his sisters, he _knew_ he was in trouble. While still holding onto the ball, he turned his head slowly to face whoever was behind him. Much to his relief, it wasn't any of his sisters but a friendlier and equally familiar face.

It was his fellow classmate, Girl Jordan; she had been called this by many due to her bearing the same namesake as a male classmate they both knew (whom everyone addressed as Boy Jordan.) Unlike the latter; _Girl_ Jordan was an elegant girl and a very decent person. She had light blonde hair, which is tied into a braid, three pairs of eyelashes, and small pearl earrings.

She wore her usual outfit of a yellow elbow-sleeve T-shirt, blue pleated skirt, a bow on the side of her hair and sandals over her tall socks. Lincoln remembered having a few encounters with her, in the past. But as he also remembered, half of them ended with embarrassment (for her or for him.)

Yet, despite all the awkward moments; she was one of the few girls in town who respected Lincoln and treated him like a friend. So, seeing her in the arcade was a surprising yet welcomed sight. "Hey, Girl Jordan" he chuckled shyly, "I...I didn't expect to see you here."

Jordan giggled back at him and said the feeling was mutual. "It's nice to see you, Lincoln" she stated, "but please...call me Jordan, while we're outside of school." Despite the firm tone in her voice, while making her request; the playful elbow nudge she gave him showed that she was only playing.

"What brings you to Gus' tonight, Lincoln" she asked, "are you here alone or did one of your sisters bring you?" For some strange reason, hearing Girl Jordan ask about his sisters caused Lincoln to suddenly shiver. The girl in question took notice of this and asked if he was alright.

"I'm fine, Girl...I mean, Jordan" he assured softly, "I'm not here alone but...none of my sisters came with me." He then gestured at the trio of High School girls by one of the booths. "Wow, aren't those girls in your sister's class" questioned Jordan, "never thought I'd see people their age in a place like _this_."

Lincoln smiled and said he was just as surprised. "They brought me here, after they spotted me walking around downtown" he explained, "they said I could use a fun night." Jordan stared at him slightly and then, she asked what he was doing out alone at this hour.

Just as he was about to explain, he heard Becky's voice calling out to him. "Hope you're hungry, little man" she shouted, "because we've got a warm pizza here with your name on it." Lincoln's stomach suddenly gurgled loudly with hunger, upon hearing her mention the word "pizza."

Not wasting a moment, he headed over to the booth. But not before he turned back to Jordan and apologized for not getting into his story. "That's okay" she assured him warmly, "I'm in the booth to the left of you, you can tell us about it there."

Lincoln suddenly halted in mid-stride, wondering what Jordan meant when she said "us." Jordan shrugged with a smile, told him she'd explain in a minute and hurried off to _her_ booth. Still feeling rather confused, Lincoln slowly made his way back to Carol's booth.

Upon taking his seat, a voice suddenly called out Lincoln's name from behind him. What surprised him was the fact that it was a female's voice. He took a peek over at the other booth, just as he was served his slice and gasped.

Sitting in another circular booth was Girl Jordan and a group of other girls. Aside from Jordan, he recognized three of the other girls sitting with her. One was Stella, a new girl that moved into Royal Woods just months ago.

The second was Cristina, a former crush he once had long ago. What confused him however, was the fact she was here at all. The last time he saw Christina's face, Lincoln heard she had switched classes at his school.

This was due to her having to view a video piece featuring him partaking in "kissing practice" (with her as the receiver of said kissing.) Before she made the switch, Lincoln never had the chance to apologize to Cristina for showing that video. Nor did he have the chance to explain _why_ he showed it.

So, this was the first time in a long time they've seen each other; face to face. The third of the familiar faces was Paige, Lincoln's newest crush. Then, he glanced to the side and suddenly noticed the booth's other occupants; several of which were acquainted with his elder sisters.

There was Haiku, a friend of Lucy's and a fellow Goth, Kat (a member of Chandler's posse) and two girls from the middle school. The first one was a girl about Lynn's age; she had tan skin and two pairs of eyelashes on the rims of her eyelids. She had dark shoulder length hair, thick and bushy eyebrows and small white pearl earrings hanging from her ears.

She wore a green sweater, with a star designed on it, a plaid blue skirt, and brown boots; the same outfit she wore, when they first met. The other girl appeared older, possibly a 7th or 8th Grader; she wore a yellow turtleneck shirt with stripes, a green skirt and green boots. Her long light-brown hair was neatly tied into a ponytail that hung behind her head.

In an instant, Lincoln recognized the girl from his and Clyde's trip through the Middle School.

In their attempt to try and not look like "noobs" (as Lynn said,) they tried their best to find their next spot on the tour on their own (which was the "Wonders of Watercolors" class.) But instead, they ended up opening the door to the "Fun with Photography" dark room; ruining the class' work. This accident earned the anger of the leader of the project.

Lincoln shuddered softly, upon thinking of _that_ incident. He then looked at the shorter girl and paled slightly, his mind suddenly reliving the moments where he made _her_ and her friend mad. As Lincoln's brow began to sweat nervously, Girl Jordan's voice suddenly sounded out.

"Lincoln, you better hurry" she exclaimed, "you don't want your pizza to get cold, right?" His mind suddenly snapping out of its state of fear, Lincoln blinked frantically and slowly faced his plate. "Oh...yeah, right" he murmured, "sorry about that...just spaced out for a moment there."

As he turned around and began eating, the tall girl ceased sipping her drink and looked over the back of her seat; spotting Lincoln. Upon seeing her eyes looking down at him, Lincoln took a nervous bite of his pizza and slowly sipped the strand of cheese dangling slightly. There was total silence, after that; as the girl just stood over Lincoln, studying him deeply.

Then, after what felt like an eternity, the girl suddenly spoke. "Hey...I think I know you" she stated with a nod of thought, "yeah...you're the other half of Clincoln McCloud." Upon hearing this revelation, the shorter girl clamored over slightly and looked at Lincoln as well.

"Yeah, I remember you" she murmured, "you're Lynn's little bro...the kid who hogged our seat in class." Lincoln couldn't help but notice the mildly fierce tone in the girl's voice, when she said the second part of her statement. At that moment, the older middle school girl's eyes began to narrow firmly; either in anger, deep thought...or perhaps, both.

"Yeah, I remember you too" she mumbled, "you and your friend ruined my team's photography project, months ago!" Lincoln began to sweat nervously, upon hearing their tones. This combined with all the other ladies looking down at him filled Lincoln with such anxiety, he felt as though he were on trial.

Finally, after Girl Jordan had touched his hand; something inside Lincoln snapped and he suddenly let out a terrified scream. As he quickly curled up fearfully in his seat into a ball, many of the other patrons looked at the booth with utter confusion. "I'm sorry, okay" Lincoln wailed, "I'm sorry I'm such a screw-up, just...please, don't hurt me!"

No one dared to speak a word, after this sudden outburst. The only other sounds heard in the arcade were those of the games and the young children who ignored what was happening. For ten minutes, no one dared to speak or move. It was a miracle that the pizza was still warm, after all this time.

Finally, Cristina took a leap of faith and patted Lincoln on the back soothingly. "Calm down, Linc" she whispered, "it's okay...you're among friends here." There was a collective murmur of agreement from the other girls, despite some of them being clueless about what was happening.

While still crying and whimpering softly, Lincoln turns to face Jordan; who had a sympathetic look in her eyes. As he slowly sat back up in his seat, a waitress came to their booth; asking them if anything was wrong. "No, ma'am" Carol replied softly, "everything's fine, my friend's...just a little jumpy."

Surprisingly, the waitress believed her explanation and she returned to her work. Once they were alone again (so to speak,) Jordan and some of the other girls asked if Lincoln was alright. "Sorry about scaring you like that, ladies" he sighed, "I'm just...I've been a tad on edge over these past few weeks."

Upon hearing this, Becky took a bite of her pizza and asked what was wrong. "Yeah, Lil' Loud" chuckled Carol, "you said earlier that you would explain what's going on, once we got here...so, spill." Sensing that there was no way out, Lincoln sighed and asked for everyone to get comfy.

"Let me just start by introducing myself, to those of you who don't know me" he began, "my name is Lincoln Loud and I'm...I'm here to take my mind off of some troubles I've been having at home." This caused the ladies to softly whisper amongst themselves. "I've heard things get...a little rough at your house" Jordan admitted, "but what happened, exactly?"

Lincoln stared down slightly into his drink for a couple of seconds and then, he sighed. He then began to regale everyone about his sister, Lori's loss at the golf game that morning. Carol let out a soft gasp of acknowledgement, recalling the shot that cost Lori the game.

"No disrespect meant, little man" murmured the photography girl, "but what does a golf game have to do with _you_?" Lincoln understood her confusion and continued the story. "Thing is, I'm not directly involved with this incident" he stated, "but somehow, I _still_ got caught up in the crossfire."

He went on to explain that due to his second eldest sister, Leni accidentally costing Lori the victory; they got into a fight. Then, this fight later brought his remaining eight sisters into the fray. "Whenever this happens, it leads to what my sisters call the 'Sister Fight Protocol'" he explained with air quotes, "I...really wish I was making this up...but I'm not."

As he looked around at the ladies, he could see each of them sporting a look of utter confusion or disbelief. "Um...no offense but I don't think anyone here has heard of any Sister Fight Protocol" murmured Haiku, "what, exactly happens anyway?" Deciding to cut his explanation short; Lincoln said that when this Protocol was in affect; not one of his ten sisters was to be crossed, while they try to "cool their heads."

"If even the slightest mistake is made or if you get in their way, they start fighting even more viciously than before" he added with a shudder, earning concerned stares from the ladies. "What about your parents" Cristina chimed in suddenly, "don't _they_ try to do anything to stop it?" Lincoln lightly scoffed at her and proclaimed he wished it was like that.

"Normally, when things get chaotic; they _would_ step in" he explained, "but not when ten different yet equally unstable sisters are all fighting each other all at once." The two middle school girls nodded slightly, recalling the moments when they saw Lynn acting hostile. Yet, despite this; they and the rest of the ladies still doubted Lincoln's plight.

"I dunno" murmured the photography girl, "isn't enduring one sibling argument a little too...extreme of a reason to be freaking out like this?" Upon hearing this, Lincoln suddenly begins to laugh but not in a jolly way. This was a sarcastic and bitter laugh, one that made the ladies wonder if he was going mad.

"Oh, ladies; what I just told you is nothing" he whispered venomously, "you know what I call that at home..._Mood Swing Mayhem!"_ After taking a sip of soda and a bite of some pizza, Lincoln continued. "As bad as their fighting is; over the years they've done so much worse" he grumbled while fishing for his phone.

Afterwards, he began typing away at it furiously; as if looking for something. _"If I know her as well as I do, my sister must have..."_ He stops himself in mid-thought and blows air softly out his mouth. Jordan began to feel quite nervous by Lincoln's body language and cautiously asked what he found.

Before answering, he asks everyone to not say anything until the very end. Everyone confusedly yet unanimously nodded in agreement and bade Lincoln to continue. With that, Lincoln let out a sigh and opened up a file on his phone. This opened up a video window and Lincoln pressed play.

As the video began playing, everyone saw what looked like a sort of weird montage. One that included several moments where his sisters either chased, yelled at, threatened, belittled or otherwise tormented him. As it played, there were times where the ladies had either turned away or stared in disbelief/disgust.

At one point, they saw a clip of Lincoln running around the house nude; which caused the girls _his_ age to cover up their eyes. "Lincoln, what in the ever-loving _what_ are you doing without your clothes on" cried Stella, "and who would record you in such a state?!" Lincoln paused the video and explained that the video was recorded through his sister, Luan's security camera system.

"She has it on all the time in order to record anything we do to use as means to possibly blackmail us later" he stated, "or...use as a sort of April Fools 'joke' of hers." The moment he mentioned April Fools, all of the color seemed to have drained from his face. The short middle school girl took notice of his face and asked what had him so spooked?

"It's kinda hard to explain...uh...um..." Lincoln suddenly found himself fumbling his words. Though he had met the girl at Lynn's school, long ago; he never learned her name. The moment she sensed his confusion, the girl smiled and introduced herself.

"Name's Cici; we met in my class...after you and your pal called dibs on my desk" she stated while playfully narrowing her eyes. Despite the tone in her voice, Lincoln couldn't help but feel nervous beneath her gaze. The photography girl suddenly decided to clear the air and introduced herself as Phoebe.

When he heard her voice, Lincoln sensed a mildly intimidating tone in it; which made him sweat severely. Upon realizing this, Lincoln got up from his seat and asked to be excused to the restroom. The ladies nodded nonchalantly and Lincoln quickly raced into the Men's Room. While in there; he tore off several rows of paper towels, went into the stall and proceeded to try and clean off as much sweat as possible.

While doing this, he notices the viewer is looking at him. "The girls said it would all be a fun night out" he sighed, "instead, I feel like I'm on a hidden camera show hosted by Jerry Springer." After five minutes of "cleaning" himself, Lincoln worked up enough nerve to head back to his table.

The moment he sat down, he suddenly found himself locked in a headlock from behind. "AHH! Please, don't hurt me" he cried, "I'm sorry for all that I did, I really am!" Despite his fearful yet sincere cries, there was no reply; which made Lincoln decide to close his eyes and prepare for his just desserts.

Suddenly, his nostrils were filled with the unexpected yet delectable smell of garlic. As he opened his mouth to speak, someone tossed a piece of a garlic knot into his unsuspecting mouth. While nervously chewing; Phoebe, while still keeping him in a light headlock, gave him a friendly noogie.

After chewing and swallowing his food, he turned to faces the ladies; all of whom had goofy grins on their faces. "Boy, oh boy" cried Stella, "did we get you good or what?" Several of the ladies suddenly burst out laughing, which made Lincoln feel slightly uneasy.

Once they calmed down, Jordan patted his back and assured him he was safe. "We were just having a bit of fun" she said with a warm grin, "Phoebe thought it'd be hilarious to make you sweat a little." Lincoln smiled slightly at the ladies, informing them that their little joke worked splendidly.  
Once the laughter died down, Carol asked Lincoln to continue his earlier story.

"Yes...well, it's a little weird to explain" he admitted, "you see...most people think April Fools Day is a fun day of pranks and gags, am I right?" Several of the ladies agreed with this assessment, which brought Jordan to admit how much _she_ enjoyed pranking her brother.

The others all giggled; admitting they, too did their fair share of pranks on people. But the atmosphere in the air quickly became as dead as the grave, the moment they saw Lincoln's eyes. "For most people, April Fools is like that" he said ominously, "but for us Louds...it's like Judgment Day."

While still being respectable, Whitney insisted that Lincoln was simply exaggerating. To which he responded by taking out his phone and showing a picture. Said picture showed him at his friend, Liam's farm...covered in honey and being chased by the livestock across town.

"I thought I'd be able to lay low there" he mumbled, "hide myself in the hay piles and wait till the day was over." But with a sorrowful sigh, Lincoln went on to say that Luan was three steps ahead of him. At one point, he opened the barn door to see if the coast was clear, a bucket of fresh honey fell on him.

"Once it hit me, I was staggering around blindly; trying to pull the bucket off my head" Lincoln explained, his fists tightening. "The moment I got it off, all of Liam's animals were in front of me; licking their lips." He then added that while some of the animals were herbivores, he still feared for his life.

"That's when you decided to run, I'm guessing" questioned Christina, "and where was Luan during all this." With a sigh, Lincoln tapped his finger on the phone and the video began to play. As it went on, everyone could hear mad cackling off-screen.

_"Boy, Lincoln; you give a whole new meaning to..._'animal magnetism_"_ she laughed madly, _"ha-ha-ha-ha! Get it?"_ Not only did Lincoln groan at his sister's poor choice of words. But each of the ladies around him also voiced their displeasure towards her prank.

"There's pranking and then, there's...whatever _this_ is" groaned Becky with disgust, "I mean...you could've been hurt during all that!" Lincoln sighed deeply and confessed that in some April Fools Days Past, there _were_ moments where they had been hurt...or at least, lost some hair. "We don't know _why_ she goes too far every April 1st" he said exasperatedly, "all we know is that she starts acting like Batman's enemy, The Joker; when it comes.

After that, he took out his phone and showed a picture of the Royal Woods Middle School Squirrels mascot costume. Some of the ladies; like Becky, Whitney and even Haiku (to a degree) laughed at this; proclaiming the sight to be hilarious. While others; like Jordan, Stella, Christina and even Cici and Phoebe thought he looked adorable.

Lincoln suddenly felt his cheeks heat up with a blush. But he didn't know if it was from embarrassment or if he felt flattered. At that moment, Cici questioned what the mascot had to do with him.

"Let me ask you ladies something" he said suddenly, "who do you think was that was _wearing_ that costume?" Everyone scrunched their brows tightly and began to tap their chins in thought. Then, after thirty seconds; Stella let out a gasp of realization.

"Wait...hold on for a minute here" she murmured, "are you saying that...the costume, that was..." With a nervous gulp, Lincoln gave a nod and confessed that it was indeed him in that squirrel suit. "Okay, lil' Loud" murmured Becky, "before we continue, I'd just like to know one thing...why?"

Once again, Lincoln suddenly began to laugh bitterly for several seconds. When he stopped, he told them that nobody would believe the truth. "Dude, we just heard you tell us about your one sister pulling some sadistically severe pranks" Phoebe confessed, "whatever you got...we can take it."

Upon seeing each of the other ladies give him a nod, Lincoln decided to spill the beans. The first thing he said was his sister, Lynn has had an incredibly annoying history involving luck. "Before or during a game, she'd partake in what she calls 'special luck rituals" he stated, "these rituals include doing weird dances, gestures or...praying to the 'Gods of Sports.'"

The ladies look at him with disbelief, upon hearing the "Gods of Sports" comment but Lincoln assured them that those were Lynn's words, not his. "She is so obsessed with luck, she won't play one run, without performing a ritual" he sighs, "it's ridiculous, I tell ya." After taking a moment to collect himself, Lincoln began to share one such moment of ridiculousness.

"Carol, I may not be entirely familiar with the rivalry you and Lori once had" he stated, "but if you thought _she_ couldn't accept losing with grace...you haven't met Lynn." He explained how not only had she lost the game, she blamed _him_ for said loss. "Truth is, I didn't even _want_ to go to the game to begin with" Lincoln cried in exasperation, "but she _'persuaded me' _into attending...by bringing out one of her baseball bats."

All the ladies, unsurprisingly, let out exclamations of disgust or outrage towards the story; half of which was directed at Lynn's rather coarse behavior. "That has to be, hands down the dumbest thing I've ever heard" cried Carol, "and I've seen someone singing a Boyz Will Be Boyz song completely off-key at the last talent show at my school." Lincoln sided with the girl's outrage but sadly informed her that things got so much worse, after that.

"After I was dubbed 'bad luck;' over the next couple of days, I was ostracized by my own family" he grumbled, "I was kicked out of my room, I couldn't eat at the table; they even made me sleep outside in Charles' doghouse during each night...right before even _he_ kicked me out." Everyone shouted loudly with outrage, feeling almost too sick to eat anymore of their food. Then, Carol suggested that they all take a moment to fill up their bellies; before continuing.

Everyone agreed and quickly began to gorge on as much pizza and garlic knots they could handle, hoping the food would help calm their nerves. Once finished, everyone eased back in their seats and gave long sighs of contentment. "Boy, ladies; I've never had a dinner outing go this well in ages" Lincoln said suddenly, "whenever my sisters came here with me; they'd act so chaotically, we'd get kicked out for two weeks."

The moment Lincoln said this, everyone instantly remembered his earlier story and asked him to continue. Before he did, he asked them all to not get mad at what he would say next. "The only ones we're mad at here are your sisters" chimed Whitney, "why would we be mad at _you?_"

With a weary sigh; Lincoln went on to explain that during the bad luck mania, he would use it to get the "Me Time" that he so desperately craved. This led to him damaging his sisters' things, sabotaging several of their routines or whatever else. Naturally, this revelation earned him mild yet disapproving glares from a few of the girls.

Lincoln let all their looks sink in for a moment. Then, he took a bite of pizza and spoke. "I know...all that stuff I did was wrong" he confessed, "but you need to understand something...I hardly ever get any time to relax and just be _me._"

Lincoln went on to say that with so many sisters causing a ruckus, having negative opinions against things _he_ himself enjoyed and having to go to so many different engagements (be they pageants, stage shows, poetry readings or other events;) he had so little "Me Time" to spare. "I can't even rest in my bedroom without someone kicking my door in and demanding something from me" he stated, "it's darn near overwhelming!" With this in mind, the ladies' previous disappointment in him quickly yet slightly gave way to concern.

"Like, haven't you talked to them or your parents about this" Whitney suggested, "it seems like the best thing to do." Lincoln agreed with her but retorted in saying that his parents still expected family to support each other. Not to mention that it was, quite literally 10 against 1; when it came to his sisters.

"I mean...I love them and stuff" he admitted, "but sometimes, there are moments where I wonder if _they_ even love _me._" As Lincoln's self-doubt slowly began to weigh down on him, he quickly decided to finish up his earlier story. "In the end, I disguised myself in that stupid mascot costume and snuck my way into Lynn's latest game" he grumbled, "and she managed to score the winning run."

The ladies all murmured with approval at this news, praising how Lincoln put his dignity on the line to be with his family. On one hand, he would've happily welcomed this praise with gusto. But then, Lincoln confessed that his sisters made a "unique discovery;" after Lynn's victory.

To explain himself, Lincoln brought out his phone and showed pictures of each of his other sisters' events in the weeks that followed. What surprised the ladies was the fact that in each photo, the Squirrels mascot was always seen standing beside the Loud Family. When the phone shut off, they all looked at Lincoln in both confusion and concern.

"In the weeks that followed Lynn's game, the family realized I _was_ 'good luck' after all" he mumbled, "but only when I wore the suit." Phoebe scoffed loudly at this statement, proclaiming that the family was being rather ridiculous in their dependence on luck. To which, Lincoln replied in saying it wasn't just games he had to wear the suit to.

"For almost two months, I was forced to wear that suit anywhere the family felt they needed a 'good luck charm'" he grumbled, "even the beach." The moment Carol asked why they needed luck at the beach; Lincoln said, with a sarcastic laugh, that Lola didn't want to "risk" being stung by a jellyfish or getting sand in her suit. For what felt like ages; no one dared to speak a word, once the story ended.

Everyone simply sat in silence, allowing the knowledge of what they've seen and been told to sink in properly. Finally, after taking a drink from her soda; Carol began muttering Lori's name in disappointment. "It was one thing to let her rivalry against _me_ go too far, back in the day" she murmured, "but to let a stupid thing like superstition get the better of her and put _you_ at risk...that's just inexcusable!"

The rest of the ladies, young _and_ old cried out loudly in agreement; openly voicing their disapproval towards the Loud Sisters' behavior. "I may believe in otherworldly forces like Lucy does" Haiku muttered while shaking her head, "but to allow superstitions to cloud one's thinking is both shameful _and _laughable...if I were capable of laughing, of course." The final nail in the coffin came, when Lincoln told them about another beach day he was forced to attend while in costume.

"I wasn't allowed to swim, make sandcastles, look for seashells or even have ice cream" he listed bitterly, "the last one was something I so _desperately_ wanted/needed." When Carol and her friends asked for the reason, Lincoln rolled up his shirt slightly and revealed a sight that made them all yelp. All across his belly was a large red splotch of sunburn.

"I may have been in that costume" Lincoln grumbled, "but not only did the sun almost give me sunburn, regardless...I also had brief moments where I suffered a heat stroke." There was a collective horrified gasp, as Lincoln rolled down his shirt. After everyone calmed down enough, Carol asked why he didn't get medical help when he first noticed the sunburn.

"When it comes to doctors; my so-called 'genius' of a little sister, Lisa always insists on doing the job herself" he seethed, "which does more harm than good, at times." Lincoln then went on to explain that he once refused an experimental skin care lotion Lisa offered to use on him. But then, she quickly informed him of the possible side-effects of the lotion (which included skin rash, dizziness and nausea) that might last for a number of days...or weeks (if he was lucky.)

The ladies all shivered and grimaced with disgust, thankful that Lincoln had refused his sister's "help." "Well, once we're done here; you need to go to a _real_ doctor" Becky insisted, "one who has a bit more experience and care under their belt!" The other ladies unanimously agreed with her without hesitation, after taking a moment to recover from the list of side effects Lincoln mentioned from his sister's experimental lotion.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, ladies" Carol interjected, "first, let's all enjoy our time here while the night is young." Upon hearing this, Lincoln quickly drew out his phone and saw that it was almost 9; just minutes away from his curfew. "I'd love to stay and hang some more, girls" he said gratefully, "but I think I should get to the bus station before my family starts to worry."

Just as Lincoln made his way to the door, Jordan quickly raced up and hugged him from behind. "Lincoln, please...don't leave" she begged, "after everything you told us, you deserve more than just a half hour or so of fun." Over at the booth, Lincoln could hear all the other ladies begging for him to stay.

"I really would like to stay, everybody, I truly would" he mumbled, "but I don't want to make my folks feel too worried about me." Carol gave him a smile and assured him that he wouldn't have to worry about his folks. "Whitney's got ya covered, little man" she chuckled, "as we speak, she's sending a text right now to your mom saying that you'll be staying over with your friend there."

Confused, Lincoln asked how one of Lori's friends got a parent's number. To which, Whitney responded by saying his mom offered to be her emergency contact; in case anything happened. This explanation seemed to put Lincoln at ease but he insisted he didn't want to be any trouble.

"Naw, dude" chirped Becky, "you're no trouble at all...besides, we Ace Savvy fans _always_ stand together." Lincoln gasped softly in surprise and then, Becky showed off her t-shirt and didn't care if the others saw. Lincoln, once again thanked everybody for their kindness.

"Eventually, I will _still_ have to go back home" he stated, "but on the other hand...I'm not sure if I can deal with the chaos again just yet." After this, it didn't take long for the ladies to come up with the perfect solution. "Hey, Linc" Carol said suddenly, "you up for a day at the park tomorrow morning?"

Several of the others said a park outing was a great idea, especially with the Spring weather rolling in. "Yeah, that's a great idea" exclaimed Cici, "we'll all get some stuff together at our homes and then; we'll meet you at Jordan's place, in the morning...if that's okay." In that moment, Lincoln felt as though he was dreaming.

In the past weeks; he had felt all manner of stress, anger, pain (physical and emotional,) and annoyance from each of his ten sisters. He felt that this night was going to be a total bust. But here he was, surrounded by girls both he and his sisters knew.

These ladies fed him, comforted him, listened to him vent; everything he seldom saw his sisters do for him. Lincoln knew he would have to return home, at some point. But for now, he felt that a little time away would do him a world of good.

While flashing his trademarked bucktoothed grin, he agreed to the girls' terms and thanked them for their kindness. "But...I just want to understand something, first" he murmured, "why are you all being so nice to me?" Following this up, he proclaimed that half of the girls gathered barely knew him; unlike Jordan, Cristina or Stella.

"It's true, some of us aren't as familiar with you as the others" Carol murmured, "but whether someone's a friend or an acquaintance; if someone's in need, you have to lend a helping hand." The other girls sounded out in agreement, some of them adding the phrase "nobody gets left behind" in their statements. "We really appreciate that you shared such sensitive topics with us, Linc" Stella said sympathetically, "and we want to do whatever we can to help you through this."

Once more, the girls sounded off in agreement; which made Lincoln's heart swell a little. "One thing's for sure; I can promise you this, Lincoln" Carol said firmly, "come Monday morning, each of us will have quite a bit to talk about with your sisters." While one part of him felt mildly comforted by the teen's words; at the same time, another part of Lincoln wondered what would happen on Monday.

(First AN: Just when life gets you down, Fate shows you some kindness and throws you a lifesaver. In this case, these ladies will be Lincoln's. What do you think will happen, in the days ahead? Tune in next time to find out.)

(Second AN: Sorry if this seems a bit long, folks; I wanted to have Lincoln give the right explanation to the girls about what he's dealing with. I hope crafordbrian17 approves of what I came up with, along with all of you.)

(Third AN: Some might think the teens showing empathy towards Lincoln and wanting to help him feels "random" or "unearned." But it's just like Carol said; when someone's in danger, you should always lend a helping hand. Others might think Lincoln's blowing his situation out of proportion in his stories.

But while this series' chaos is played for "comedy," take note that this story is a drama and like most dramas; what seems "funny" to some may actually be cruel to others. The Fight Protocol, Luan's absurdly cruel pranks and the "No Such Luck" Incident are three examples of this)


	3. Chapter Three: A Night at Jordan's

A Night at Jordan's and a Day at the Park

After their meal had finished, Lincoln and his new crew of lady friends all exited Gus' and went to their respective vehicles. Lincoln took a few moments to thank Carol and her crew for their kindness. "Seriously, ladies; I don't know how I'll be able to repay you for this" he said humbly, "what you've done really means a lot."

Carol, Whitney and Becky smiled at the boy and lightly ruffled his hair in affection. "Don't you worry, Lil' Loud" Carol said warmly, "we're happy to help a friend in need, right ladies?" There was a collective cheer from all ten of the girls, which made Lincoln even happier.

Soon after, Jordan hurried over to her mother's car and the two began chatting softly. Lincoln couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about but did his best not to appear nosey. After a minute or two of whispering, Jordan approached him and said that he was more than welcome to stay over.

"I didn't go into too much detail on what's happened with you yet" she stated, "I figured it would be best if my folks heard about the situation from _you._" Lincoln thanked Jordan for her respect and kindness and proceeded to the car. Then, realization suddenly struck him like one of Lynn's dodgeball throws.

"Oh, crud; all my clothes are at home" he exclaimed, "who knows if one of my sisters has called my room a "safe zone" during the protocol." Upon saying this, all the girls' parents began to collectively question about this "protocol" he was talking about. Several of the girls in Lincoln's age group told them everything would be explained, in time.

"Just wait till we get to my house, we'll figure something out" Jordan suggested while helping Lincoln into the car, "I promise that everything will be taken care of." Lincoln smiled at his friend, thanked her (once again) for her compassion and took his seat. Before buckling up, he looked out towards the other ladies; who were all waving and wishing him a good night's sleep.

"Thanks again for the great dinner, Carol" he shouted softly, "I'll see you guys later!" After that; everyone got into their cars, buckled up and left the Games & Grub parking lot. During the drive, each of the ladies began to tell their folks about what Lincoln told them during dinner."

(Carol on the phone with her mom) "I swear to you, Mother; it's the truth! I saw the sunburn for myself!

(Haiku in the car with her parents) And then, they force Lincoln out of his room and had him sleep in a dog house for days.

(Stella with her mom) Then; his sister, Luan rigged a bucket of honey to fall atop his head. Later, he was chased out of the farm by the animals.

(Cut to Whitney at a traffic light, texting about the squirrel mascot to one of her friends; revealing it to be Lincoln.)

(scene cut to Becky, who is texting her friends the stories Lincoln told _her_) "OMG! Can you believe they forced their only bro to stand out on the beach in that stupid costume?"

(scene split-screens; showing Christina, Paige and Stella telling their folks about Lincoln's story:) And _then_, their silly protocol's got Lincoln so terrified; he almost leapt out of his skin at the restaurant!

(Phoebe on the phone with her mother:) And Lynn even threatened to beat Linc with a bat, if he didn't come to the game!

Needless to say; after hearing at least _half_ of the stories behind these events, the parents or people who listened were horrified (to put it mildly.) "Goodness...and does anyone even _try_ to stop all this fighting" Jordan's mother asked Lincoln but the poor boy was far too frazzled to speak about it again. As if sensing his pain, Jordan volunteered to speak for him.

"From what Lincoln said, his parents try to stop it" she stated, "but each of his sisters, even the little ones, are rather...emotionally unstable." It was here that Lincoln revealed how his sister, Lola once managed to hurt him. "All I did was accidentally bumped into her catwalk in the yard" he cried exasperatedly, "but even after I apologized, she _still_ chose to pounce on me and give me a black eye."

To say that Jordan's mother was alarmed by this revelation is a tremendous understatement. "I hope you'll forgive me, young man when I say...this is a lot to process" she murmured, "how could sisters behave in such a manner to their only brother?" Lincoln let out a bitter sigh, proclaiming he had been asking the same question for some time.

Everyone then sat in silence, for a moment or two; allowing themselves to slightly cool off from the stories. Then, Jordan asked her mother if she could help Lincoln by collecting some of his things; while he's settling in. "I'd be happy to, dear" she said warmly, "I just hope I will make it to the house without anything happening."

(Line Break)

It was almost 8 o'clock, when they arrived back at Jordan's house. The mother then told Lincoln to head inside and get himself comfortable. "I'll pop by your house and help collect your toothbrush, PJs and things from there" she stated, "enjoy your stay with us, Lincoln."

With that, she turned on the gas and headed off down the road; while Lincoln and Jordan entered the house. Once inside, they were greeted by a rather peppy spotted dog. Lincoln, naturally let out a surprised yelp at the pup's sudden approach.

Jordan meanwhile greeted it with open arms and a happy giggle. "Hi, Ajax" she cried joyfully, "did you miss Mommy, baby; did you?" As the pup licked Jordan's face in greeting, Lincoln couldn't help but feel nervous.

The last time he saw Ajax, he had torn his pants to shreds while trying to leave the property. Due to the startling and humiliating nature of the memory, Lincoln feared the dog might strike again. "Don't be afraid, Lincoln" Jordan assured, noticing the worried look on his face; "Ajax is as friendly as a lamb, he won't hurt you."

Though he still felt nervous, Lincoln trusted his friend's judgment and reached over to pet the pup. As his hand slowly eased over Ajax's head, Lincoln closed his eyes and prepared himself for the feel of teeth against his forearm or wrist. But then, he suddenly felt the light and mildly moist tickle of a tongue against his palm.

He slowly opened his eyes to see Ajax, licking his hand in greeting and barking with joy. Jordan giggled at this display and placed the pup into Lincoln's arms; who proceeded to lick his cheeks relentlessly. "See, I told you he was a sweetie" she giggled, "you have nothing to worry about."

After putting Ajax back on the floor, Lincoln took a moment to have a little walk around Jordan's home. Considering how long it was since he was last here, Lincoln almost forgot how big Jordan's house was. At first glance; one might think her home was some sort of a mansion, on the outside.

But in reality, Jordan lived the same upper middle class life many of her schoolmates had. As he headed towards the kitchen for a drink, Lincoln passed by a familiar sight; a large pool with a diving board. "Boy, that pool certainly brings back memories" Lincoln murmured, addressing the viewer, "some of them weren't so nice, though."

Jordan suddenly noticed what he was looking at and approached him. "Since Spring is on the way, the fam and I were considering opening up the pool soon" she stated, "at the same time; I was thinking of having a pool party here, during Spring Break." Lincoln beamed brightly upon hearing this, proclaiming it was a great idea.

"Hey, wonder if any of our friends would like to come" he added, "maybe we could even invite the other girls from earlier to it." Jordan squealed with joy at the thought, clearly excited at the possibility of a pool party. "Then, some of us might want to sleep over here; one night" she stated, "that is, if my folks will agree."

Lincoln nodded his head, saying they would cross that bridge when the moment came. In the meantime, Jordan invited Lincoln into the living room to get comfortable. Some time later, while the kids were watching _Extreme Barista_ on TV; Jordan's mother suddenly burst through the door.

When they looked at her, Jordan gasped at her mother's appearance. Her hair appeared mussed, her face and shirt were coated with splotches of food stuffs, her skirt appeared slightly torn and she was shaking like a leaf. "Oh my gosh, Mom" cried Jordan with worry, "are you alright, you look like you went through a war zone!"

The woman let out a long sigh and plopped herself into a chair, while placing what looked like a bag on the table. "I may as well have been through one, kids" she murmured, "had it not been for Lincoln's parents helping me, I'd have been in trouble." Lincoln paled slightly upon hearing her story, dreading what she must've seen at his house.

"Ma'am...thank you for helping me and for letting me stay the night" he murmured while collecting the bag, "I'm so sorry for what happened to you." Jordan's mother looked down at Lincoln, smiled warmly and patted his head. "You have nothing to apologize for, dear" she stated, "whatever is going on in your house, it wasn't _your_ doing."

After that, she headed off to the bathroom for a much-needed shower. "Make yourself comfortable, Lincoln" she stated, "I'll be with you in a bit." Once the mother had left, Lincoln and Jordan were left alone in the living room.

Nervously, Lincoln began to set up his sleeping bag on the floor; while Jordan watched TV. After a while, Lincoln broke the silence by thanking his friend for her kindness. "Seriously, Jordan; between listening to me vent back at Gus', letting me stay the night with you and being so nice to me" he listed softly, "I just...why?"

Jordan blinked confusedly at this question and muted the television for a moment. "What do you mean 'why'" she asked, "why am I being nice to you, you mean? The answer's simple...you're my friend." Lincoln blushed slightly, both from her kind words and his own personal embarrassment; before speaking again.

"I know, I just...I feel like I've abused that friendship a bit; somehow" he muttered shamefully, "I mean...have we forgotten how many times I've screwed up in school, like with the 'Girl Guru' thing or the Save the Polar Bear Challenge?" Jordan let out a slight shutter, asking Lincoln try and not bring up moments like those. "But that's what I mean" he cried with exasperation, "I always try to help people...but all I seem to do is make them hate_ me_ or my friends."

Upon saying this, Lincoln's arms started trembling and streaks of tears sliding down his cheeks. "Maybe I should've stayed back home" he sniffled, "sure I'd be beaten to near death by my sisters...but it's probably what I deserve." Realizing that Lincoln was about to slip back into a state of distress, Jordan thought desperately for a way to help him.

Unfortunately, she realized that words would be useless to break him out of such a state. With this in mind, she chose the only other remaining option...she hugged him. The moment he felt her arms around him and her chin on his shoulder, Lincoln suddenly stopped crying.

"Jordan...what are you doing" he murmured, "why are you hugging..." Lincoln was quickly silenced, when he felt Jordan's finger against his lips. Then, the young lady looked him in the eyes and smiled. "Lincoln Loud...don't you _dare_ say you deserve a beating" she muttered firmly, "nobody deserves to be hurt in _any_ way."

She took a moment to collect a couple of tissues for them, before continuing on. "As for whether or not you're a good friend or even a good person; the answer's simple, you _are_" she stated, "sure, you've made mistakes but so has everyone else in the world." Lincoln, after blowing his nose, made an attempt to speak about whenever he angered her...but Jordan stopped him.

"Like I said, Lincoln; we all make mistakes" she said matter-of-factly, "but no matter what, I could never _hate_ you for them." Once again, Lincoln attempted to bring up the Girl Guru thing; recalling how much hate he got from the school, after that. "I had to call in half my sick days because I didn't want to come in smelling like vinegar" he muttered, "or risk being murdered by the other girls or the teachers."

Jordan gasped slightly, remembering all the days Clyde had to bring home Lincoln's missed schoolwork. Understandably so, she was surprised to learn that _this_ was the reason for said absence. Lincoln went on to mention how some of the school still felt some smidgen of a grudge towards him for the incident.

"I know you said we all make mistakes, Jordan" he sighed, "but lately...there have been times where I felt my whole _life_ may have been a mistake!" That was it, hearing Lincoln say such words pushed Jordan to suddenly do something she'd never expected herself to do. With a soft yet fierce yell, she plucked a pillow off her sofa and hurled it forward.

The pillow struck Lincoln in the face, knocking him backwards onto his sleeping bag. After the sudden attack, Lincoln pulls the pillow off and glared at his friend. All was silent, for what felt like ages; then, Lincoln took his pillow in hand and charged towards the sofa.

Meanwhile, in the bathroom; Jordan's mother was in the midst of washing her hair in the shower. While bathing, her mind raced with many thoughts. After hearing the stories from Lincoln and seeing the chaos within the Loud household for herself, part of her feared for the boy's safety.

_"Let's talk about this matter with your husband tomorrow, while the kids are all hanging out at the park"_ she thought to herself, _"I just hope he'll believe what I tell him."_ As the missus wrapped a towel around her wet hair, she suddenly overheard the loud cacophony of giggling and roughhousing. She quickly put on her bathrobe and burst through the door to find that...everything was okay.

From where she stood, she saw Lincoln and her daughter in the living room; playing around and laughing together. After letting out a soft sigh of relief, she approached the children and asked if anything was wrong. "It's fine, Mom; we're okay" Jordan assured, "just having a pillow fight is all."

After being playfully bopped atop the head, Lincoln assured Jordan's mother that he'd be extra careful with their playful brawl. The woman smiled at them, walked away with a pleasant "as you were" and bade them goodnight. With that, the duo resumed pelting each other with their pillows.

At one point, Ajax entered the fray and tackled Lincoln in a flurry of sloppy puppy kisses. This caused him to suddenly burst out laughing with joy, something he hadn't done for some time. Finally, after twenty minutes of brawling, the duo lay on the living room floor; panting and smiling happily.

"What say we...call this a draw" Jordan asked between breathes, "I'm feeling a little...bushed, after all that." Tired yet still quite happy, Lincoln's only response was a thumbs up; while Ajax answered with a soft "yip." After the pillow fight, the two decided to share a small cup of "victory soda" before heading off to bed.

After Jordan poured each other a glass, she took a sip...and suddenly noticed Lincoln staring at her. "Really giving me the creeps with that spaced out look, Lincoln" she murmured, "no disrespect meant, mind you." Lincoln, suddenly realizing what was happening, shook his head and chuckled sheepishly.

"Sorry about that, Jordan" he murmured, "still feeling overwhelmed by how nice you're being to me." While still bearing a smile, her eyes did their best to give Lincoln a firm glare. "I'm gonna tell you this once more, Lincoln Loud and you best listen up" she stated, "you are a great guy; you're smart, creative, clever, loyal...so, why even think that you're a mistake?"

Lincoln curled himself slightly into a ball, while sitting and sighed. "Thanks, Jordan...I know you're right" he muttered, "I just...I'm just not able to think straight right now." In that moment, Lincoln could feel the icy chill of anxiety and self-doubt wash over him again.

Upon hearing the tone in his voice, Jordan crawled over and enveloped Lincoln in another hug. The feel of her kind embrace seemed to help lift his spirits...just a little and Lincoln shared a hug of his own with her. "Come on, let's get ready for bed" Jordan suggested, "we've got a fun day tomorrow and we need to be energized.

As if in response to her suggestion, Lincoln let out a prodigious yawn and his eyes began to flutter. "Yeah, I could use a good night's sleep" he droned and proceeded to the bathroom to brush his teeth. After cleaning up, Lincoln unzipped his sleeping bag and used one of the pillows from the pillow fight for his head.

Jordan meanwhile gave a soft yawn and proceeded towards her bedroom. "If ya need anything during the night, Lincoln; don't hesitate to call" she stated, "mine and my parents rooms are both upstairs." Lincoln thanked Jordan for the heads up and got himself comfortable.

"Thanks again for letting me crash here, Jordan" he said with a yawn, "have a good night's sleep, see ya in the morning." Jordan gave him the same farewell and headed off for her room. After that, all was quiet and Lincoln slowly off to sleep.

(The Dreamscape)

_The next moment Lincoln opened his eyes, he saw that he was no longer in Jordan's living room. Instead, he found himself on top of a building; dressed in his Ace Savvy costume. "Aw, sweet; I love it when I'm in one of my superhero dreams" he cried with joy while posing heroically._

_ Suddenly, there was a loud explosion from the city below; followed by the screams of the people. "The citizens are in danger" he said dramatically, "time to deal out some justice!" With that said; he brought out a grappling hook from his belt, latched it onto a nearby gargoyle and swung into action._

_ Upon landing, Ace/Lincoln looked through the smoke and saw the cackling silhouette of the attacker; one whom he recognized all too well. "Flash Card, looks like he's up to his old tricks again" Ace/Lincoln thought to himself, "hope he won't mind if I dropped in." Meanwhile, Flash Card had collected every last bill from the vault and ready to leave._

_ "Thanks ever so much for your contributions, ladies and gentlemen" he cackled, "I'll make certain it all goes to a worthy cause..._ME!_" With that, Flash Card got into his car and raced off at breakneck speed. "Ha-Ha-Ha! Looks like it's Easy Street for me" he stated, "I'd like to see that fool, Savvy try and stop me this time!"_

_ As if on cue, two playing cards suddenly struck the car's left front and rear tires; causing them to pop. Flash Card screamed with alarm; as his vehicle suddenly skidded along the road, struck a hydrant and was sent flying high. After flipping three times in the air, the car crashed upside down and Flash Card came crawling out the door weakly._

_ When he came back to his senses, Flash Card made a beeline for the trunk; desperate to retrieve his loot. But as he reached for the latch, a playing card suddenly struck the trunk; almost taking the criminal's fingers. Flash Card growled bitterly while rubbing his hand, realizing he had been cornered._

_ Just then, an all too familiar voice spoke from behind; one that made him groan with defeat. _"Looks like you had an accident, Flash Card"_ Lincoln/Ace stated, _"hope your insurance covers it." _After that, Ace leapt atop of the car; causing the criminal to almost trip over himself in alarm._

_ "Your robbery scheme has failed" Lincoln/Ace said firmly, "best surrender before I decide to get rough with you." But much to the hero's surprise, Flash Card only seemed to laugh at his words. "So sorry, Savvy...but robbing the bank wasn't really my plan" he declared, "it was all just bait to lure you here."_

_ Just as Ace prepared to question his foe, he suddenly felt something struck him in the back of the head. While in a daze, he looked over his shoulder to see a familiar sight; a diamond encrusted tiara flying through the air. This same crown suddenly flew into the grasp of a small hand._

_ Upon looking more closely, Ace/Lincoln suddenly spotted a team of shadowy figures at the far end of the road. He narrowed his eyes intensely, presumably thinking he was seeing things. Upon seeing the confusion on his enemy's face, Flash Card laughed. _

_ "Do not be shy, ladies" he shouted suddenly, "come on out and introduce yourself to our friend." With that command, the figures slowly made their way beneath the glow of the flickering street lights. The moment he saw their identities, Ace/Lincoln gasped with horror._

_ Standing before them were what looked like his own team of comrades, The Full House Gang. But they appeared different than how he remembered; their costumes were darker, their eyes blood-red and blazing with malicious intent and each of their weapons were like murderous opposites of the originals. The sight of them all filled the young hero with a great sense of dread._

_ "Ace, I'd like you to meet my latest creation; the Blackjack Gang" chortled Flash Card, "thanks to my scientific genius, I used my technology to create evil doubles of each of your teammates" Ace scoffed at his foe's words, proclaiming he could never create evil versions of his team. "You would need evil to help_ create _evil, you fool" he snapped, "and these ladies don't have any evil bones in their bodies."_

_ Despite the truth of his words, Flash Card remained undeterred. "Evil can be created in many ways, Savvy" he stated, "some become evil through greed, a lust for power, a sociopathic desire to cause others pain...which is something your 'friends' have in spades." To help prove his point, Flash Card commanded Black Joker to strike first._

_ As the jester approached, Ace saw her holding pies in both of her hands. "Hope you like pie, Ace" she muttered sinisterly, "because mine are just EXPLODING with flavor! HA-HA-HA!" Upon saying this, Black Joker threw one of the pies towards Ace...but he dodged just before it hit the car._

_ The moment it did, however; Ace/Lincoln gasped in horror, as the pie's cream suddenly caused the vehicle to explode. "What in heaven's name" cried the young hero, "what did you put in that pie?!" Black Joker chortled with malicious glee and declared it was her own special recipe._

_ "I was thinking about using the traditional coconut crème" she stated, "but then...I had the _best_ recipe for a Napalm Pie with a C-4 filling just waiting to be baked!" Ace/Lincoln shuddered at the sadistic tone in her friend's voice, when she spoke of the recipe. But his thoughts were suddenly halted by the sudden collision of a powerful headbutt._

_ The young hero groaned slightly while shaking the cobwebs out of his head, wondering what hit him. Just as he tried to get back on his feet, he suddenly felt someone's foot place itself upon his chest. He looked up to see the face of Strong Suit (or her doppelganger, rather) which bore the look of someone ready for a fight._

_ "Ready to tussle, little man" she chuckled while cracking her knuckles, "or are you too much of a wimp to take a hit?" Despite the pain in his head, Ace/Lincoln refused to let himself be so easily subdued. So, with all the strength he could muster, he managed to roll out from under her foot._

_ After getting back on his feet, he prepared himself to fight Strong Suit. When suddenly, a loud feedback blast sent him flying into the air. After he fell to the ground, Ace/Lincoln turned weakly to see Night Club approaching him._

_ Like the others, _this_ Night Club was a devilish version of the original. She seemed to resemble a twisted mixture of Gene Simmons, Marilyn Manson and Voltaire with her demonic fangs, blood-red makeup, snake-like tongue, spiked shoulder pads and golden nose ring. "Aww! Is the little hero feeling tired" hissed the double, "don't worry, Mummy will sing you a lullaby to help put you to sleep...permanently!"_

_ She then plugged in her guitar, tuned it slightly and turned the amp up to 12; which meant that things were about to get_ very _noisy. Thinking quickly, Ace/Lincoln covered his ears tight; just as his opponent began to play a vicious riff. The force of the feedback blast sent him flying across the road._

_ Yet miraculously, his hearing remained in one piece; despite a mild ringing. As Ace/Lincoln prepared to collect himself, a blood-red sash suddenly caught him around the neck and proceeded to strangle him. Despite choking violently, Ace/Lincoln tried his very best to break free._

_ But each time he did, the hero felt the noose becoming tighter; choking him even harder. He turned around to see Eleven of Hearts, wearing red like the rest of her team. But her glasses, shoulder pads, boot designs, sash and ribbons all bore symbols of broken hearts upon them._

_ "Get ready, Ace" she snarled, "because after I've broken your heart, I'm going to break everything else!" As Eleven of Hearts began to drag him towards her, Ace/Lincoln quickly snatched up half of a broken bottle and cut himself free. Ace/Lincoln quickly got back to his feet and coughed violently, desperate to get some air in his lungs._

_ But as he tried to recover, someone appeared from behind and swung a scythe blade at his head. The young hero saw the attacker's reflection on a mud puddle beneath him and he quickly dodged the attack at the last second. Soon, he was confronted by the evil version of Eight of Spades; who was dressed in the guise of a medieval executioner._

_ Throughout the battle; Ace/Lincoln tried to outfight, out-maneuver and even outwit his foes. But as expected, being doubles of his team meant they knew his _every _move. This lead to each of the ladies countering or blocking whatever strategy he thought up._

_ Soon, he began to grow weak with fatigue and could barely stand on his own two feet. Flash Card took notice of this and cackled joyfully. "It's useless to continue, Savvy" he decreed, "my creations won't stop until they have your head!" With a defiant look on his face, Ace/Lincoln tried to continue fighting._

_ But he was quickly toppled over by one of Dark Deuce's diapers. As Ace lay groaning on the ground, the dark version of High Card loomed over him like vengeful goddess. "I've wanted to do this for ages, you twerp" she growled while drawing out her weapon, "say your prayers."_

_ With that said, she reached behind her back and pulled out her weapon; a pair of large stone dice connected to a chain. As Ace lay beneath her shadow, fearing what was to come; High Card raised her weapon high and swung it down hard._

(In the real world)

Meanwhile, outside of the dream; Lincoln suddenly shot up from his pillow with a loud shriek of terror. Due to this sudden noise, Ajax leapt out of his dog bed and began to bark loudly in alarm. The combination of these noises caused Jordan and her parents to suddenly storm out of their rooms and rush downstairs.

"What's going on, what's with all the noise" cried Jordan's father, "are we being robbed?!" Jordan quickly turned on the light to see if anyone was in the room. Much to her relief, she saw only Lincoln and Ajax in the room.

At the same time however, she and her parents were confused by why he screamed at all. "Is something wrong, Lincoln" questioned Jordan's mother, "did you see something or was it just a nightmare?" The boy said nothing in reply, the only sounds he made were those of frightened whimpers.

Concerned, Jordan hurried to the kitchen and readied a cup of tea for her friend. "Careful not to drink too fast" she instructed, "it's freshly brewed, just the thing to calm your nerves." Lincoln thanked her for the drink and carefully sipped it, while Jordan's parents each took a seat.

"If you can, my boy...care to tell us what caused you to yell like that" questioned Jordan's father, "from the sound of it, we thought you were being attacked." Lincoln suddenly stopped drinking, upon hearing this and everyone could see his expression become rather grim. "I guess you could say I _was_ being attacked" he murmured, "only...it was in my dream."

Now, when one mentions the idea of being attacked in their dreams; it's expected for others to feel concerned. In this particular instance, that was no different. After they gave Lincoln enough time to calm himself, Jordan and her parents asked him to tell them his dream.

With a reluctant sigh and the memories of what he saw still fresh in his mind, Lincoln relented. By the time he was finished, it was 3 AM; just three or four hours away from sunrise and the four of them were all wide awake. Once the story behind Lincoln's dream was over, the family was beyond mortified.

"I know what you're all gonna say" he murmured, "'it's just a dream, don't worry about it.'" After that, Lincoln was quiet; as if expecting them all to say just that. But much to his surprise, both Jordan _and_ her mother suddenly hugged him.

"Normally, sweetie; that_ would_ be the case" she admitted, "however, after everything I've heard and seen...well, I can understand that you might be at your wits' end." Jordan looked up at her mother with a stare that seemed to say her words were "putting things mildly." The father meanwhile appeared rather stoic during the whole thing.

Finally, he ruffled Lincoln's hair and offered for him to sleep in one of the guest rooms. "Oh, no Sir...I couldn't" Lincoln mumbled bashfully, "I don't want to burden you guys anymore than I already had." The man chuckled heartily at Lincoln and insisted that he'd take up the offer.

"You're our guest and should be more comfortable" he stated, "it's not a burden at all." With that, he collected Lincoln's bedtime things and led him upstairs; leaving his wife and daughter behind to talk. "Don't know about you, Mom" Jordan whispered, "but I'm gonna talk to the girls at the park about this."

The house matriarch nodded in full agreement with her words, adding that she would be doing the same with any of the parents present. "For now, let's get back to bed" she stated, "hopefully...Lincoln's slumber will be much calmer now." With that, the ladies both let out a yawn and returned to their beds.

(Line Break)

When Lincoln finally awoke, it was 8:30; just a half hour off from his usual wake-up time. But due to the dream he had, having an extra few minutes or so of sleep was to be expected. After making the bed and cleaning himself up, Lincoln arrived in the kitchen for breakfast.

Upon seeing Jordan's mother working at the stove, Lincoln politely asked if she would like any help. "Oh! Thank you very much for offering, dear" she said gratefully, "but I'm doing well on my own here." Lincoln gave a soft chuckle and insisted that he'd help.

Before anyone could react, the boy was already at the counter; whistling merrily and making scrambled eggs for them all. This display of cooking skill greatly impressed Jordan and her folks. "Wow, Lincoln; I didn't know you could make eggs like that" she gasped in awe, "where did you even learn how?"

After prepping the plates and serving, Lincoln chuckled softly and admitted he had some good teachers. "Not only do me and my pal, Clyde work well in the kitchen" he stated, "but my dad is also an expert cook, taught me a lot of things; like making any kind of eggs just right." Jordan's father took a small bite from his dish and immediately beamed with delight.

"Wow, this is delicious" he exclaimed, "I thought only the Missus could make eggs this good." Soon, the ladies took sample bites of their own and also let out cries of pleasure; upon tasting them. As Jordan downed half of her plate, her mother began to whisper in her ear.

"Smart, a loyal friend, creative and one heck of a nice cook...he's the whole package" she murmured, "when do you plan to rope him in, honey?" Upon hearing this, Jordan's face flashed read and she almost choked on her orange juice. Alarmed, Lincoln quickly handed her a napkin; which Jordan happily accepted.

After cleaning herself up proper, Jordan shot her mother a stern glare. "Mom! Lincoln is a friend of mine...a _friend_" she said firmly, adding emphasis to the last word; "there's no point in trying to set us up!" Lincoln, his cheeks also flashing red, also claimed they were only friends.

"All we're saying, kids is you never know" Jordan's father chortled, "you're friends now, sure...but it might change; come Middle School." As both parents laughed pleasantly at the idea; Jordan gave an exasperated sigh, shook her head and told Lincoln to just ignore them. "It's okay, Jordan, I'm used to it by now" Lincoln murmured, "my sisters have said stuff like that to me for years."

(Line Break)

Sometime later, the parents and their children arrived at the park (with Lincoln in tow) and all of the young ones hurried out to the field to play. Lincoln was happily playing with Ajax, throwing a Frisbee to him. When they saw how happy he was, Paige and Stella quickly decided to join in on the fun.

Meanwhile, the teens were all with the adults at the picnic area; discussing potential Spring Break plans. During said discussion, several of the girls noticed how silent Jordan had been and asked if she was okay. "Is something wrong, brah" questioned Phoebe, "today's too nice to be so down in the dumps."

Jordan suddenly shot out of her daze with a start, upon hearing the girl's voice; as if coming out of a dream. "Oh...sorry, girls" murmured Jordan, "I was just...thinking about Lincoln." This statement caused Carol and her posse to giggle softly, thinking that she may have been daydreaming.

With a soft groan and a roll of her eyes, Jordan told everyone she was being serious. "I mean it; last night, Lincoln was really out of sorts" she stated, "saying something about his sisters attacking him in his dreams." This knowledge caused the ladies' previously giggly demeanors to suddenly become grim.

"What was his dream about, exactly" questioned Carol, "and don't skimp on the details, Missy." This was followed by the others also voicing their wish to hear the dream. Even the parents were eager to learn about it, strange as it seemed.

Jordan sighed softly, happy to have gotten through to them all and began her story. By the end of it, everyone was stone silent with looks of shock frozen on each of their faces. "It's a weird one, I know" Jordan murmured, "but that's the thing about dreams."

For what felt like ages, nobody had spoken a word; until Whitney broke the silence in asking "how does he know about the Full House Gang?" Upon hearing this, Jordan gleefully revealed that Lincoln was the one who created the characters. "He based them all off of his sisters, presented the idea to Bill Buck and got it published" she said with joy, "my friends and I all thought it was really cool."

After that, she presented her own copy of the story from her backpack. When the parents and kids saw the cover display, they whistled and murmured softly in approval. "Hold it..._Linc_ came up with these chicks" Becky interjected, "I LOVE THESE GIRLS! Eleven of Hearts is my favorite!"

Carol took the comic carefully in hand and began to study each member of the gang. "I'm not much of a comic gal...but I _love_ these outfits" she exclaimed suddenly, "I especially love Lori's look!" After looking over the book and learning about the Full House Gang, everyone had another level of respect for Lincoln.

"Such clever ideas" Mrs. Pingrey murmured as she browsed through the comic, "makes me wonder why his sisters would act so harshly to a brother who, essentially, helped make each of them famous." Upon hearing this, Jordan's mother suddenly brought up her encounter with Lincoln's family from last night. "It was a miracle I made it out in one piece, after I gathered some of Lincoln's things" she sighed fearfully, "I swear to you, everyone; I've seen siblings fight before...but not like what I saw happening in that house!"

She told them how trashed the house looked, how viciously the girls were acting towards each other and how terrified the parents appeared. "To think that all this started because Lori lost at a golf game" Carol sighed, "I thought she said she was done feeling competitive towards me!" The fathers who were present grumbled softly, thinking something had to be done.

"If this keeps up, I'm considering calling Social Services...or even the police" murmured Christina's mother, "that poor boy can't go back into _that_ kind of house while all this is going on!" Everyone fully agreed with the woman's words, which made the young ones feel quite overjoyed. "If that's the case, where can he go until things blow over" questioned Whitney, "I mean...does he have other family around?"

It was here the Jordan told everyone about Lincoln's grandfather named Albert, whom he called "Pop-Pop." "He's nice, very capable and cares deeply about Lincoln" she stated, "maybe he could stay with _him?_" Alas, her parents quickly shot down her idea; informing everyone that Albert resided within a nursing home.

"I know this because my neighbor's grandmother is in the same home _he's_ in" Jordan's mother murmured sadly, "and children/family are only allowed a few hours of visitation there." After that, everyone tried to think of more ideas. "I think I remember Lynn saying something about them having an aunt somewhere" Cici stated, "she could probably help."

At first, this seemed like a good idea...but Stella quickly shot it down. "I heard about this aunt once, when I last sat down for lunch at school with Linc and the guys" she stated, "he said she's kinda lazy, a bit of a slob...and often forces him and his sisters to do some seriously nasty work." When everyone asked what this "work" involved, she revealed that it either involved cleaning out her many, many cat boxes...or rubbing her feet.

Several of the fathers shuddered at this idea, even the teens felt grossed out by it. "Putting eleven children under such work seems like a violation of Child Labor Laws" murmured Becky sickly, "we can cross _her_ off of the list of possible sitters." As everyone continued thinking up ideas, they suddenly heard Lincoln whistling out to them.

"Hey! Becky, Cici, Carol; you guys wanna play Frisbee with me and Ajax" he shouted, "whoever wins gets a kiss...from the pup, that is." The ladies giggled softly at his little joke and proceeded to join him. "Don't think just because we're friends and you're slightly younger than us that we'll go easy on you" challenged Cici, "I'm giving this all I've got!"

Lincoln smiled boldly and his eyes narrowed intensely with excitement, as he took the disc in his hands. "I don't plan on going easy on you ladies either" he said firmly, "so...who's game?" Without a moment's pause, the three ladies all raced up to Lincoln; giggling madly with joy.

"Hey, wait for me" cried Jordan, "don't leave _me_ out on the sidelines!" As she hurried off, Stella followed close behind; while the rest of the ladies decided to remain behind and act as refs. The parents chuckled happily and resumed setting up the picnic table.

As the Frisbee game went underway, Lincoln suddenly felt a sense of joyfulness he hadn't felt in days. Something told him this upcoming break was going to be the best one he ever had.

(First AN: Things seem to be starting out smoothly for Lincoln, folks. But what does the future hold for him and his new crew? What will happen during Spring Break, what plans do the ladies have for him...and what will the parents do about the ever-present tension in the Loud House?

Tune in next time, to find out)

(Second AN: Extreme Barista isn't a series within Loud House. Rather, it's one featured within the Cartoon Network series; Regular Show. I know it's the wrong show but I figured that it seemed like a series that LH would feature)


	4. Chapter Four: Making Plans

Making Plans

The time was now 11:30 in the AM and Lincoln was still out in the park field, laughing merrily. The Frisbee game he and the girls were having with Ajax was the most fun he had in a long time. At the moment, he barely remembered any of the drama that might be going on at home.

Meanwhile, some of the older teens had just finished helping their folks setting up the plates at the picnic area. During that time, they were discussing ideas of what to do during the upcoming Spring Break "So...how should we start things off, everybody" questioned Carol, "anybody got any ideas?"

Each of them began scratching their chins in deep thought, for a minute or two. Then, Whitney decided to offer an idea; "stop me if this feels cliché, ladies" she stated, "but I was thinking about a trip to the be..." Before the girl could finish, her friends quickly clasped their hands over her mouth tight; silencing her.

"Don't you _dare_ finish that sentence, Whit" Carol whispered softly, "after what we heard; I doubt Linc wants to go..._there_, of all places yet." This reminder caused Whitney to suddenly feel a strong sense of shame. "Well, if not there; why not the town pool" Becky suggested, "that's big enough to fit all of us."

Paige admitted to liking the idea...but quickly shot it down, after reminding everyone that Lincoln's family was banned from there. With _that_ idea tossed aside, everyone feared their Spring Break would be incredibly boring. That was when Jordan's mother joined in on the discussion.

"My daughter and I may have a few ideas" she interjected, "that is...if you'd all like to hear them?" Intrigued, the ladies seated themselves at the table and bade her to continue. Back at the field; Lincoln was prepping for a Frisbee throw, when he soon spotted the ladies whispering to each other.

_"Gee, I wonder what they're talking about"_ he thought to himself, his fingers running against the disk in his hands. Then, he noticed Carol and Becky looking his way; which made Lincoln feel mildly self-conscious. After a second or so of staring, the two ladies returned to the conversation.

More whispers followed, after that and then; the ladies all suddenly erupted into a fit of joyous giggles and laughter. Lincoln was taken aback by this outburst, which gave Ajax just the distraction he needed. After letting out a series of excited barks, the pup suddenly pounced on Lincoln from behind; knocking him to the ground.

"Hey, no fair" Lincoln said with a chuckle, "you can't tackle me while I'm distracted, that's cheating." Ajax responded with a proud yip, as if to say "I play to win," collected the Frisbee and proceeded to bring it to his master. After collecting the disk, Jordan did all she could to fight back the giggles she held inside.

After taking a moment to collect herself, she cleared her throat and helped Lincoln back onto his feet. "Don't be discouraged, Lincoln; this has happened before" she stated, "I've lost count of all the times this lil' rascal did that to _me_." Lincoln, with a soft shrug and a chuckle, assured her no harm was done and affectionately stroked Ajax's head.

"The truth is that I got distracted when the girls over there suddenly started squealing and cheering" he explained, "wonder what got them so excited?" Upon hearing this, Christina suggested asking them what was happening. With that in mind, they collected the Frisbee and headed for the table.

Upon their arrival, Lincoln's eyes widened at the sight of the vast assortment of foods presented before him. "Wow, look at all this good stuff" he gasped in awe, "you all really didn't have to go through so much trouble for us." Mrs. Pingrey chuckled heartily and ruffled his hair, assuring Lincoln that it was no trouble at all.

"With so many people here, we need as much food as possible" she stated, "I just hope you all will like it." Wasting no time; all the kids took their seats, made ready their plates and took samples of all the food presented before them. There was potato salad, egg salad, some gelatin, an assortment of sandwiches, a cake, a blueberry pie, some bags of chips, watermelon slices and a pan of brownies Stella's mother made.

With his mouth salivating slightly, Lincoln quickly seized some of the food. But he quickly stopped himself, realizing that it'd be rude to eat before everyone else did. With this in mind, offered for some of the ladies first.

"Thanks, Linc" chimed Carol, "it's sweet of you to ask that." Several other ladies murmured in agreement, proclaiming Lincoln to be a rather thoughtful young man. "Aw, shucks; ladies" he chuckled while blushing, "I'm not _that_ great...I'm just being me."

"Well, young man; you're great to all of _us_" said Jordan's mother with a smile, "and our girls here seem to agree; don't you, ladies?" All the girls, young and old shouted with great fervor; which made the boy blush harder. "Think of it, Lincoln; you've been through so much in the past few weeks alone" Carol stated, "and yet...you still find it in your heart to try and forgive, forget and be a good kid."

Upon hearing all this, Lincoln's slightly welled up with tears; appearing flattered that so many people felt so highly of him. "It's because you're such a great guy that our daughters had come up with a proposition for you" Mrs. Pingrey stated, "something you might find to your liking." Intrigued, Lincoln took a sip of lemonade and asked what the proposition was.

"Well, Linc; let me start by asking _you_ a question" Carol stated, "do you have or _did_ you have plans for the upcoming Spring Break holiday." Lincoln was slightly taken aback by this inquiry; his mind had been so frazzled from past events, he hadn't even thought about Spring Break. "Actually, ladies...I've never come around to making any sort of plans" he admitted, "you know...due to current issues and all."

Everyone nodded slightly in unison, fully understanding his predicament. "Well, _we've _been making some plans of our own...and we'd be honored if you would join in on the fun" Carol said with a bright smile, "that is...if you want to or feel up to it." Lincoln gasped slightly at this revelation, mildly surprised that a High Schooler would want a kid like _him_ to take part in her plans.

"That all depends" he murmured softly, "what sort of plans do you all have in mind for Spring Break?" Upon hearing this, the ladies all squealed softly with excitement. "Oh, we've got loads of ideas in mind" Jordan chimed, "to start things off, I was thinking of spending the day at Dairy Land."

Stella beamed with glee at the idea, while Cristina remained respectively silent. Lincoln quickly took notice of her discomfort and said if she felt uncomfortable about it, she could remain with the others. "That's okay, Linc" Carol assured, "she may not be on board with Dairy Land...but how does a spa day sound?"

Upon hearing this; Cristina, Stella, Paige and some of the older girls squealed with delight. To say Lincoln was surprised by the spa invitation would be an understatement. Now, by no means was he resistant to the idea of spa treatments or pampering.

In fact; during more happy days at home, there were many occasions where he'd join Lori and Leni for mud mask treatments. Still, he had never been to a spa even once before. "You sure you want _me_ there with you" he asked, "I'm worried I might cramp your style."

Becky scoffed at the notion, assuring him that a good spa day would be just the thing to help ease his mind and spirit. Then, she reached into her backpack and revealed a small red envelope to Lincoln. "Pardon me for being nosey...but what's that" he asked, "is it an Easter card for someone?"

With a sly chuckle, she neatly tore open the flap and revealed four passes; each one bearing the image of an ace playing card symbol. "Snagged these last week after becoming the winning caller on a radio contest" she chuckled, "no doubt _you_ might've known about it?" Lincoln's mood dampened slightly, remembering how excited he and Clyde were to try and get the passes.

He even had a plan to help gain more chances at victory, which involved using Lori's vast assortment of phones. Sadly, before he could even get a hold of _one_; Lori stopped him. As punishment for attempting to take said phone, she gave him a wedgie that lasted the entire afternoon.

"I've heard about that contest and so did my friend, Clyde" he murmured, "sadly, we were unable to make a call...due to a number of reasons." Becky smiled sympathetically at him and handed Lincoln one of the passes. "Lucky for you, each of these passes is redeemable for two tickets" she announced with joy, "you get one, I have one, Chaz will get one and Joey will get one."

Lincoln stared at his pass with silent joy, knowing Clyde would immediately accept the offer to come with him. But he wondered who Becky and her friends would bring with _them._ Before he could think more on that, Haiku offered Lincoln to join her for a poetry reading at The Burnt Bean; Fern Valley's most popular café.

"That sounds pretty cool" Lincoln admitted, "but...I'm not much of a fan of coffee and poetry is more Lucy's thing." Haiku smiled softly at him, which he thought was rather rare, and she patted his hand lightly in understanding. "There's a poet inside of everyone, Lincoln" she stated, "even the simplest of topics can be described with beautiful words."

Lincoln gasped softly, apparently surprised by the young Goth's passionate spirit. "Gee, I never really thought about it like that" he confessed, "I may give it a shot...just to say I tried." The girls all clapped at his declaration, pleased to see him wanting to try something new.

"On the next day; I was thinking of, maybe taking up some golf" Whitney interjected, "how does a round at the Hole in One-derland mini-golf course sound?" Lincoln smiled slightly, apparently pleased with the idea. But softly confessed his golf skills were weak, when compared to Lori's.

"Don't worry about it, dude" Carol chuckled, "golfing's all about the fun...plus; if you want, I can help teach you." With a soft, bucktoothed grin on his face, Lincoln happily accepted the offer. Cristina quickly chimed in, after that and offered to have a picnic/barbecue get together here at Ketcham Park.

Her father quickly agreed to the idea, proclaiming he'd been itching to break out the grill for months. After that, Jordan appeared so anxious to bring up _her_ idea; she looked ready to burst with excitement. "I asked my parents and they've agreed that sometime, during the break, we could have a pool party at _my_ house" she explained, which earned a collective joyful murmur from everyone.

"There's enough room for us all and as an added bonus, we could follow it up with a sleepover" Lincoln added, "that is, if it's okay with everyone." All the ladies (young and old) looked at one another, then at Lincoln and responded by each giving him an enthusiastic thumbs' up. Afterwards, they turned to their parents; hoping they would permit them to go.

"As long as it's fine with Jordan's parents, you can go" murmured Becky's father, "and promise us you'll all be responsible and call if anything goes amiss." With that settled, everyone placed their hands in the middle of the table; like a sports team would. Only one hand was missing from the stack, Lincoln's.

As each of his new lady friends urged him to join in, the boy hesitated; as if fearful of something. "Sorry, ladies...I just can't shake off this sense of dread in my chest" he sighed, "I keep thinking...'what will happen, if any of my sisters find out I'm at any of our activities?'" In that instant, the girls suddenly realized their error in not thinking of a way to deal with the Loud Sisters.

It was here that Mrs. Pingrey helped put Lincoln's fears to rest. "Don't you worry too much about them, young man" she assured, "me and the other parents will take care of all that." After all things were said, the girls all urged Lincoln to join them. With a chuckle and a light yet playful shrug, he placed his right hand atop the ladies' own.

After that, they counted down to three in unison and all broke apart with the loud outcry of "Spring Break!" This outburst caused everyone to break out in a fit of giggles, Lincoln being the loudest of all. As the ladies all continued giggling, he turned his head back to address the viewer.

"Looks like things are lookin' up for me, everybody" he sighed softly at the viewer, "but I can't help but wonder what else is in store." As he looked over each of his new lady friends, who were all still giggling with joy; Lincoln dreaded the idea of any of his sisters coming after them _or _him. At the same time, he decided to trust in the parents' abilities.

"Don't think about the bad stuff too much, Lincoln" the young Loud boy encouraged himself softly, "once school's out for break, you'll finally be able to cut loose a little." With this thought in mind, Lincoln was awash with a slight feeling of optimism; leading him to think that things might be looking up for him now. Little did he suspect, however; Lincoln's struggles would swiftly return in full swing.

(AN: Lincoln raises a very good question, Loud Crowd; what _will_ be in store for you in the days ahead? Will it be all fun in the sun or will something happen to rain on his parade...and what about the family? Are they still caught up in their own drama to notice Lincoln's absence?

Tune in next time, to find out.)


	5. Chapter Five: Lincoln's Troubled Mind

Lincoln's Troubled Mind

After having such a fun weekend, Lincoln returned back to school; feeling moderately refreshed and in good spirits. After thanking Jordan and her parents for bringing him to school, Lincoln approached the front door, hoping the day would go smoothly. _"Just get through two or three more days of classes, Lincoln"_ he thought to himself,_ "once they're done, you've got several days of R&R coming."_

Suddenly, just as he reached the campus steps; Lincoln was suddenly tackled to the ground. Once he fell, the poor lad let out a frightened yelp; thinking it was one of his sisters ambushing him. But then, Lincoln soon heard the sounds of wild sobbing and crying.

Upon recovering from the tackle, Lincoln opened his eyes and turned to see who it was that assaulted him; his best friend, Clyde McBride. Several students watched, as the young African-American boy wailed loudly into Lincoln's chest. "LINCOLN, THANK GOODNESS YOU'RE ALRIGHT" Clyde sobbed loudly with joy, "YOU'VE BEEN GONE FOR SO LONG, I THOUGHT...I THOUGHT YOU WERE..."

Upon sensing his friend's growing hysteria, Lincoln smiled and placed an arm around his shoulder; while they walked through the door. "Clyde, you're freaking out a little" he murmured softly, "did you remember to pack your bag?" With a soft nod of his head, Clyde unzipped his backpack and pulled out a small paper bag.

After breathing into it for about twenty seconds, his manner became more relaxed. "Thanks, buddy...I really needed that" Clyde sighed with relief, "sorry for freaking out like that...and for tackling you." Lincoln gave him a small, nonchalant shrug; assuring him that no harm was done.

"I really am sorry...I've just been out of sorts lately" Clyde murmured, "ever since my dads said they heard all kinds of fighting at your place, I got worried." Upon saying this, there came a collective murmur of agreement from three other voices behind them. The boys turned around to see their other friends; Liam, Zach and Rusty standing behind them.

"Good to see ya again, pardner" chuckled the young farmer boy, "ain't seen ya for what felt like ages...where've you been?" As Lincoln prepared to explain himself, Principal Huggins soon appeared in the hall and urged all students to get to class. With a soft murmur of obedience, everyone calmly walked by in single file.

"Best not dawdle" murmured Lincoln, "I'll tell you guys everything later...see ya in class." After that, Lincoln hurried off down the hall at a quick pace; anxious to get through the day. Sadly, like most school days for children; the hours seemed to drag on forever.

During each class, Lincoln did his best to do his work and listen to each of his teachers' lectures like normal. Yet, somewhere in the back of his mind; he continuously wondered about his sisters back home. Were they still fighting, how were his parents holding up and most of all, did they even realize he was gone?

With these thoughts going through his mind, Lincoln found it harder and harder to pay attention...and his teachers took notice of it. First, in Mrs. Johnson's class; Lincoln was reported for continuously looking out the window while writing down his notes. At first, Mrs. Johnson presumed Lincoln was simply daydreaming about something.

But when she got a look at his face, she realized Lincoln was in a slight state of fear...but she didn't know what. Later, during shop class; Lincoln and Clyde were tasked with making an Easter basket. Despite their efforts; said basket looked worn out, misshapen and strange.

When the time came for the teacher to give their verdict on it, Lincoln suddenly fell apart. His eyes screwed shut, his arms were trembling and he let out muffled cries of despair on his desk. "Whoa there, Loud; no need to go all to pieces" murmured the teacher in shock, "I mean...I'll give you an "A" for effort, at least."

After taking a moment to collect himself, Lincoln wiped his eyes and apologized to everyone for his outburst. In the end; once class was over, the teacher decided to give "Team Clincoln McCloud" a passable grade. Though Lincoln thanked him for it, he hated how his teacher only did so out of pity (due to his earlier behavior.)

Upon arriving in English Class, the teacher asked everyone to write a paper on what their Spring Break plans were. By the time the bell rang, most of the students were finished with their work...except for Lincoln; who seemed to be stuck in the middle of _his _paper. Deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt, the teacher asked to look at what Lincoln wrote.

For the most part, the text described what a child Lincoln's age usually would usually be doing on break; having fun and hanging with friends. But as he got towards the middle, the teacher noticed one phrase that was viciously scribbled on the line; "if my sisters find me...I'm dead!" After reading this, the teacher gave Lincoln a look of concern...but said nothing.

"Sorry for my writer's block, Sir" he murmured sadly, "I've just...I've had a lot on my mind lately." Upon hearing the tone in the boy's voice, the teacher snapped out of his daze and handed Lincoln back the paper. "It's not that big of a deal, Lincoln" he assured, "maybe you can fix the paper during your lunch break?"

Mildly startled by the teacher's offer, Lincoln silently accepted and thanked him for his kindness. Once English was over, Lincoln went on to Art Class; hoping that his drawing skills would help ease his thoughts. Upon entering, the teacher introduced the class to their assignment; creating a portrait of their nighttime dreams.

Lincoln grew nervous upon hearing this, remembering that the last dream he had during the night wasn't a pleasant one. But despite this, he knew he _had_ to do a painting or else he would earn a failing grade...and the idea of failing troubled him. Within seconds, every student in class was hard at work on their pieces.

For the next half hour or so; paint flew every which way, hands were flailing in a blur and the teacher could see looks of determination on each of her students' faces. Eventually, everyone was commanded to stop and to lower their brushes. "Class is almost over, everybody" murmured the teacher, as she stood up from her desk, "let us see what you've all done."

With that said, the students lined up and the teacher began to look over each of their paintings. Some of them were quite awe-inspiring, like a sunset shining its rays over a collection of flowers in bloom. While others had some...shall we say, interesting concepts; like Liam's hog, Virginia feeding a collection of piglets or Clyde's full-canvas portrait of Lori.

When the time came for Lincoln to show _his_ piece, however; the teacher noticed he had the canvas covered beneath a blank sheet of paper. "Mr. Loud, might you be so kind as to show us your portrait" she insisted, "I'm certain it will be something...slightly appealing." With a weary sigh, Lincoln pulled back the sheet and revealed his work.

Upon seeing the painting, there was a combination of horrified gasps and loud cries of alarm from everyone who saw it. The painting showed Lincoln dressed as Ace Savvy, which felt expected from Lincoln. But it also depicted him being mercilessly overpowered by The Full House Gang (whom everyone knew were modeled after his sisters.) To say that the image shocked everyone would be a _gross_ understatement.

The imagery, color scheme, battle poses of the girls on the painting and Lincoln's fearful fetal position at the bottom all looked like a scene from a rated "R" film. "Er...this is an...interesting painting, Mr. Loud" the teacher murmured, "I'll...I'll give you an A- for it." After that, the bell rang loudly and everyone swiftly left the room.

Before Lincoln left, his teacher asked if she could hold onto the painting until the end of the day. Though the request seemed outlandish to him, Lincoln shrugged softly and handed his painting over to the teacher. With that done, Lincoln followed his friends out the door; not noticing the look of distress on the teacher's face.

With Art Class over, everyone made their way to the gym for Phys. Ed. There, Coach Pacowski had a collection of dodgeballs ready for a game of Bombardment. While his friends anxiously anticipated the game, itching to break out their "Scorpion Formation" strategy, Lincoln looked as white as a ghost.

The moment he saw the balls; his mind suddenly echoed with sounds of his older sister, Lynn's laughter. The same kind of laugh she would give any and every time she was ready to brutalize/torment him. This caused the poor lad to shake like a leaf with fear.

The other students noticed Lincoln's change in behavior and were prepared to ask if he was okay. But almost instantly, the shrill sounds of Pacowski's whistle shot everyone back to reality and the game went underway. As the rubber balls went flying, Lincoln let out a terrified shriek and tried to find cover.

But his path was quickly blocked off by Chandler and his crew. "Don't take this the wrong way, Loud" he said with a smile, "but in Bombardment...it's every man for himself." As the boy threw his ball towards Lincoln, Clyde (in slo-mo fashion) lunged forward and knocked him to the side; saving him.

"C'mon, Lincoln; get your head in the game" he urged, "stick with me and the others and will get through this." Lincoln said nothing in reply, the most response he could muster was a slight nod. With that settled, he joined up with his friends and they took up the Scorpion Formation.

Stella, deciding to take the lead, instructed everyone to stay close and keep watch for any surprises. Clyde, Liam, Rusty and Zach all gave a unified cry of "yes, ma'am;" while Lincoln felt too terrified to say anything. Soon, Chandler and his team advanced upon them; each member armed with a red ball.

"Here we come, chumps" Trent shouted, "hope you're ready for a beat down!" That did it, that declaration was just enough to push Lincoln's psyche over the edge. With a loud cry of terror, he hurried off to the back end of the gym and took cover inside of the basketball bin.

Outraged by this display, Coach Pacowski blew his whistle loudly; forcing the game to an immediate halt. While some of the students grumbled with dismay, bitter that their "fun" had ended too soon; others looked in Lincoln's direction with great concern. "Come on, Loud" grumbled the coach, "this behavior is a little extreme...even for you!"

There was no reply from Lincoln, only the sounds of terrified whimpering and weeping. Confused, several students made an attempt to approach him. But when Lincoln saw their figures approach him, it only made things worse.

"NO, PLEASE...NOT AGAIN" Lincoln shouted loudly, "I can't take another target practice session!" This statement caused everyone to look at one another in confusion. "Lincoln...what the heck are you talking about" questioned Trent, "we're just playing a game, no one's using you for target practice."

Meanwhile, Coach Pacowski was desperately trying to make heads or tails of the situation. "What's goin' on with you, Loud" he asked in exasperation, "you're never _this_ afraid, when we play." With that said, Jordan prepared to explain to everyone about what was going on.

But then, the bell suddenly rang out; signaling the end of Gym. Reluctantly, Coach Pacowski ushered for everyone to hit the showers and wished them a happy Spring Break. Before leaving, he called for Lincoln to stay behind for a moment.

"Look, Loud; I mean this in the nicest of ways" he murmured, "but I'm hopin' that after break, your head will be stuck on your shoulders so you can focus more." Lincoln said nothing in reply; no shout of protest, no whining...his only response was a shaky thumb's up. With that settled, he headed off for the Boys Locker Room to change; leaving a still confused coach behind.

After changing, everyone headed off to the cafeteria for lunch. Lincoln decided to take a seat alone in a small, round table in the far corner of the room. For the first fifteen minutes, Lincoln simply sat there; sadly picking at whatever food was on his tray in a mindless daze.

Said daze was suddenly shattered, when the sounds of several lunch trays clattering against the table reached his ears. Upon recovery, Lincoln looked around to see all his friends seated around him. "Sorry for disturbing you, buddy" murmured Clyde, "mind if we sit with you?"

Lincoln offered no verbal reply, the only sound that could be heard was a soft and near-unintelligible grunt. This behavior caused everyone to feel a whirlwind of emotions. Concern, despair, annoyance, sadness, anger...all these feelings ran through their minds.

Finally, Rusty let out an annoyed huff and demanded to know what was going on. Before Lincoln could raise his voice, Jordan quickly intervened and offered to speak for him. "I can assure you, everyone that what's happening right now isn't your doing" she explained, "Lincoln's been...going through some stuff lately."

Feeling both concerned and yet, slightly intrigued; Clyde urged for the girl to continue. "Well...to start with, there's been some stuff going on at Lincoln's house" she stated, "a fight between his ten sisters, to be exact." After that, she went on to explain everything to them.

From the Sister Fight Protocol, Lynn's "bad luck" obsession, Lincoln being forced into the Squirrels mascot costume, Lincoln's nightmares and his parents near complete lack of involvement with it all. "He's been bunking with me; after our trip to Gus', last Friday" she stated, "my mother thinks it's not safe for him at home right now." When Jordan got a look at her friends' faces, she could tell they were all feeling different kinds of emotions.

Rusty looked at Lincoln with a sort of "you must be joking" face. Zach felt a sensation of dread wash over him, Liam felt like he was hearing one of his grandfather's tall tales, Stella, though already having heard Lincoln's stories days before, looked ready to vomit. Lastly; poor Clyde was so distraught, he almost popped his paper bag from breathing so rapidly.

"Wow, Lincoln" he gasped loudly, "I know things often get chaotic at your house...but this is too much!" Lincoln fully understood everyone's disbelief but assured them that everything they heard was 100% true. "Had it not been for Jordan and the girls, I'd be out of my mind by now" he groaned softly, "they each had my back the whole time."

Just as Clyde was about to question who the other "girls" involved were, Huggins voice suddenly called out through the intercom. _"Attention! Would Lincoln Loud please, report to the main office"_ he said softly, _"repeat, Lincoln Loud to the main office please!"_ This announcement caused many students to either chuckle with glee or murmur softly with statements of "oooh's" or "you're in trouble."

Lincoln, however disregarded the commentary, emptied his tray and proceeded to the door. Just as he stepped out, Jordan was on his heels; begging him to let her accompany him. "If my hunch is correct, someone should be with you to provide a second opinion" she stated firmly, while taking his hand in hers.

At first, Lincoln considered refusing her offer to help him. But then, he realized that Huggins would never take his word alone. So, with a soft smile on his face; he happily accepted her help.

Moments later, both pre-teens arrived at Huggins' office and he asked Lincoln to take a seat. "You're probably wondering why you're here, Mr. Loud" he murmured, thus earning a nod from Lincoln. After that, Huggins presented a sheet of paper before him; one containing several of his teachers names and the words "troubling behavior" or "disrupting class" beside them.

"Since First Period, Mr. Loud; I've been receiving messages from all of your teachers" he sighed dejectedly, "each one of them told me the same thing...that _you_ seem to be acting up, for some reason." When Huggins asked Lincoln for an explanation, the boy said nothing. Sensing his distress, Huggins tried to "be the nice guy" and offer him a peppermint candy from a dish on his tray.

Again, the boy offered no reply; he didn't even smile at the candy offer. With that idea shot down, Huggins' demeanor quickly began to grow slightly irritated. "Mr...Loud, I am doing all I can to remain impassive at...whatever is going on with you" he grumbled, "but if you continue to be disobedient, I will have no choice but to give you detention for the entire break."

Realizing how dire the situation is, Jordan quickly stepped in and begged Huggins not to punish Lincoln. "With all due respect, young lady; this matter is between the two of us" the principal said firmly, "Lincoln's behavior is of no concern to you." Upon hearing this, Jordan defiantly slammed her fist upon his desk and proclaimed that she had _everything_ to do with Lincoln's behavior.

Taken aback by this sudden display, Huggins almost stumbled over his own chair. After a few moments of silence and everyone had recovered, Huggins granted Jordan permission to speak for Lincoln (if need be.) "Now, then...all morning, I've been receiving calls from teachers telling me that Lincoln's been exhibiting odd behavior" he stated, "could either of you explain what's going on?"

After that was said, the next forty minutes were spent in explaining Lincoln's situation in every possible detail. By the end of it all; Huggins was so flabbergasted, it looked as though he froze in his chair. When he finally snapped out of it, he took a moment to process everything; all while rubbing his temples.

"With all due respect, kids...I find all this rather difficult to believe" he said simply, "I mean...surely, your family can't be _that _neglectful!" Lincoln let out a weary sigh and assured the man that on normal (or "semi-normal") days, they weren't as he described. "There've been times where I could count on my sisters to have my back, when situations get rough" he said with some pride, "but...they let their own faults get the better of them, sometimes."

He then went into detail about Lori's loss at her golf game. Describing how, rather than accepting the loss with grace, she let her pride and slight jealousy towards Carol get the better of her. But he made sure to add Leni's accidental use of an air horn to the tale as well.

"This all lead to the two of them getting into a fight" Lincoln said with a sigh, "which later led to the _rest of my sisters_ into joining them!" Despite feeling some concern for the boy, Huggins suggested that a sibling fight isn't something worth falling to pieces over. "Normally, Sir; that would be true" Lincoln confessed, "but when you have _ten_ sisters...it's several times more chaotic."

He then took out his phone and showed Huggins images of his house when it's in "Sister Fight Protocol Mode." He saw rooms blocked off with police tape, his little sisters dressed like security guards, several of his older sisters arming themselves with something to "defend themselves" with and the kitchen being put under lockdown. "But where are your parents in all this" questioned Huggins, "why aren't _they _stopping it all?"

As a response, Lincoln showed him the bomb shelter outside their house. "My folks use this whenever my sisters are fighting...or when April Fools comes around" he sighed, "don't ask about the second part...that's a whole different story, one too long for me to talk about now." As Lincoln went on; he described every moment he was beaten, threatened, blackmailed and/or emotionally manipulated by his sisters.

"The moment Lincoln told me he started to question his family's love for him...well, we _had_ to help him" Jordan said firmly, "that is to say, my parents and a few friends of ours." Huggins smiled softly at them, happy to hear that there was still some decency in people out there. After that, all was silent between the three of them.

The only sound that could be heard was that of Cheryl's fingers, typing away at a computer keyboard. Finally, Huggins eased himself in his chair and let out a long sigh. "Mr. Loud, I must be blunt with you" he began, "while I'm still having difficulty in processing what you've just told me...I can't deny that you've been through a great deal of strife."

After saying this, he asks Jordan if her mother is home; to which, she answered with "yes." Then, he took out a notepad and proceeded to write something down on one of the papers. "mind if I ask what you're writing, Principal Huggins" Lincoln inquired, "not to seem nosey, of course."

The middle-aged man smiled warmly at the boy's thoughtfulness, tore the paper piece off the notepad and handed it to him. "Due to your mind's current state, I'm granting you permission to leave school early" he stated, "hopefully, you'll feel better after a few days." After that, he asked Jordan to give her mother a call and ask them to pick Lincoln up.

"I'd be happy too, Sir" she stated, "thanks for understanding the situation." Huggins accepted their kind words and sent them off on their way. Once the two students had left, his pleasant demeanor suddenly faded away into a stern look of authority. "Cheryl, could you do me a favor; when you have the chance" he called out loudly, "bring me my phonebook...I need to make a few calls."

(AN: Sorry if this chapter feels...meh to all of you. I'm not very skilled at doing schoolyard drama/situations. But I hope I made everything as believable as possible)


	6. Chapter Six: A Day at Dairyland

A Day at Dairyland

Sometime after leaving Huggins' office, Jordan took out her cellphone and immediately texted her parents at home. "I hope my Mom or Dad will be able to pick us up" she murmured, "if not, we'll just have to walk home." Lincoln gave her a soft smile and said he'd be okay with either choice.

"If I may change the subject, though" he said suddenly, "I just wanna say...thanks...for all your help." Taking her attention away from her phone for a moment, Jordan turned towards Lincoln and smiled brightly. "It's the least I can do, Linc" she stated, "friends never abandon friends."

Lincoln chuckled softly at her words, muttering how he feels he'll be getting spoiled during break. "Don't think of it as getting spoiled" Jordan stated, "it's repayment for all the good you did, as a brother and a friend." At that moment, the two preteens suddenly heard a soft buzzing ring out.

Jordan looked down at her hip to see her phone vibrating. Upon inspection, she saw a message from her mother; saying that she was on her way. "Says here she'll be here in fifteen minutes" Jordan muttered, "hope you don't mind waiting." With a soft wave of the hand, Lincoln assured her all was good.

But something in his tone of voice told Jordan otherwise. It wasn't just that, though; his posture, the look in his eyes and the way his hands kept rubbing together showed her something must've been wrong. "Lincoln, are you...feeling okay" Jordan asked with concern, "if something's wrong, you can tell me."

At first, Lincoln considered lying to her; make an attempt to assure her he was fine. But each time the thought crossed his mind, it made his stomach twist into tight knots. With a deep sigh, Lincoln decided to come clean.

"I guess I'm just a little...worried" he murmured, "worried about what's going on at home, about my parents' safety or sanity, what might happen in the future..." In an instant, Lincoln started to dive into a tangent of anxiety; which brought him close to hyperventilating. Once this started to happen, Jordan quickly grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him.

"Lincoln, you've got to snap out of it" she snapped softly, while giving his shoulders a light shake. It took a while but after one or two good shakes, Lincoln's breathing steadied itself. "Okay...are you all good now" questioned Jordan, "did you get all that out of your system?"

After letting out a couple of deep sighs, Lincoln's demeanor slowly reverted back to his usual pleasant self. The moment he was back to normal, Jordan gave him a big hug to lift his spirits. "Look...I know things are crazy now, Lincoln" she sighed, "but at the end, things will be better for you and everyone else...I know it."

Though, a small part of him still had doubts; Lincoln felt comforted by his friend's words and thanked her. Minutes later, Jordan's mother pulled in at the school parking lot and waved to the kids. Without pause, Lincoln and Jordan hurried to the vehicle; anxious to get their Spring Break started.

Upon their return to Jordan's house, the duo proceeded to make plans on what to do on their Dairyland adventure. "I was thinking about starting things off with the Milk Shaker" Lincoln suggested, "it feels like ages since I've been on that right!" Jordan nodded enthusiastically at the idea, barely holding back her excitement.

"Oh, what about the Bull Pen Bumper Cars" she stated, "I always love riding in those." Lincoln beamed with joy at the idea, before he began to act out a series of driving gestures. After that, Jordan pulled out a brochure from the park and showed off a few new attractions that were added.

There was one in particular that caught Lincoln's eye, a sort of long tower made in the shape of an old Amish butter churn. "Don't think I remember seeing _this_ before" he muttered, "I wonder what it is?" Upon saying this, Jordan's father suddenly popped in; chuckling naughtily.

"You must be lookin' at the Butter Churn, my boy" he said slyly, "my brother was among the first patrons to ride it, when it was first opened." Intrigued, Lincoln asked what this new ride was like. "To make a long story short; it's a 200 feet tall thrill ride" he chuckled, "you're strapped into a harness and an elevator lifts you and all other riders up to the very top."

Now; normally, Jordan was often a tough cookie and could brave any challenge before her. But there was something about the Butter Churn's description her father gave that gave her a chill. "W-W-What happens after you reach the top" she asked, "do they...d-do they lower you back down slowly?"

Upon hearing this inquiry, her father let out a loud yet playful laugh. "Sorry, hon...but there's only _one_ way down" he stated, "and that's through a 190 foot long, forty miles per hour drop!" There was a mixed reaction from both preteens about the ride, after hearing this revelation.

Lincoln was filled with a great sense of excitement and anxiousness...while Jordan could barely keep herself from shaking. When he saw the fear in his friend's eyes, Lincoln reached over and took her hand and both of his; lightly petting them. "Don't worry, it's probably not as bad as you think" he assured, "who knows, the ride might actually be fun."

Though a sliver of fear still lingered inside, something in Lincoln's voice and his eyes helped calm Jordan down. Eventually, her demeanor returned to its usual cheerful glow and she smiled at him. Suddenly, both of them realized they were still holding hands and quickly broke away.

After that, Jordan could hear her parents sniggering softly; all while muttering how "cute" she looked when she blushed. "Ignore my folks, Lincoln" she grumbled softly, "they're just being goofy." The lad chuckled softly at her, gave her a "don't worry about it" shrug and the two went back to their Dairyland plans.

The next day, they met up with Stella at the bus station; who also appeared rather excited for the fun ahead. Upon boarding the bus, the three of them spent some of the ride just chatting idly with each other. "Say...uh, Stella; I know this may seem like a weird question" Lincoln muttered, "but do you have any news to report about anything happening back at my house?"

While mildly taken aback by this inquiry, Stella understood the reason behind it. With him being away from home for so long, it's natural for him to be curious about how things were. "Well, before I got here; I had a run-in with Clyde" she stated, "from what he said; the tension's so thick at your house, you could cut it with a knife.

(A camera flash goes off, as we enter a flashback of the previous afternoon. Here we see Clyde, nervously making his way towards one of the living room windows. Upon peeking out from below; he sees all ten of the Loud Sisters, sitting or standing in all parts of the room.

Each one, young and old, sported a vicious look of anger in their eyes. Yet not a single word was spoken by anyone, not even the parents; who chose to hide out beneath the kitchen table.)

Once the flashback ends, Stella suddenly lets out a soft shudder. "Clyde said it wasn't the looks the girls had that alarmed him...it was the overall silent atmosphere" she whispered, "it was like one of those movie scenarios; where if someone so much as sneezed, a shootout would ensue." Jordan grimaced at Stella's story, feeling more on edge than how she did from her dad's description of the Butter Churn.

Meanwhile, Lincoln simply gave a dejected sigh; as if to say he expected things to still be this bad. "When my sisters hold a grudge, it's hard for them to let go" he murmured, "believe me, I know from experience." There was a rather uncomfortable silence, after that statement; until Stella gave him a light yet friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Let's not think about family drama right now" she stated, "we have a trip to Dairyland to think about." Upon being reminded of this, Lincoln couldn't help but smile. "You're right, we're about to have a fun day today" he murmured softly, "I can't let home troubles dampen my mood."

With that said, the girls let out a cheer; happy to see their friend in good spirits again. After that, the rest of the bus ride proceeded smoothly and pleasantly. In time, they reached their destination; the Dairyland Amoosment Park.

Upon exiting the bus, the girls fished about their pockets and pulled out the money they were given for their venture. But as they proceeded towards the ticket booth, Jordan turned towards Lincoln and asked if _he_ had money to use. This question caused Lincoln to become a little nervous.

He'd spent so much time away from home, he had forgotten about collecting the funds he needed to sustain himself. But then, he was suddenly struck with an idea. "Don't worry, ladies" he said confidently, "I think I remembered an idea of mine."

Before they could question the meaning of his words, Jordan and Stella's eyes widened; as Lincoln began to fish his hand around inside of his sock. At first, Jordan was prepared to reprimand him for scratching his feet in public. But within seconds, Lincoln suddenly drew out a crumpled wad of money about the size of a marble.

"Okay...two things, Lincoln" murmured Stella, "first...eww and second, why do you have money in your sock?" Upon collecting his money and pocketing it, Lincoln chuckled sheepishly at the girls. "Sorry about that" he muttered, "at my house; when we find money, everyone gets as testy as miners during a Gold Rush."

The girls nodded slightly in understanding; with eleven kids under one roof, it _must_ be difficult for any _one_ of them to have any spending money to spare. "I've been collecting any spare bills I found lying around my house for almost three months" Lincoln explained, "I've kept them all in what I like to call my 'socket.'" Both ladies blinked confusedly at him, asking what the heck a "socket" was.

"Oh...it's actually a merger of two words, sock and pocket" he replied, "I thought up the name myself." The girls couldn't help but smile at him; despite the idea being both uncomfortable (in terms of walking) and...slightly gross, they admitted it was slightly clever. With their money in hand, the trio proceeded towards the booth and collected their tickets.

In a flash, Lincoln placed some money on the counter; insisting that he would pay for them. "No, Lincoln" Stella insisted, "this Spring Break is about _you_ having a good time, we should pay." Despite the kindness behind their words, Lincoln still insisted on paying; calling it compensation for all the good they've done thus far.

Both ladies chuckled softly at this, muttering pleasantly how they could always count on Lincoln's kind nature. Having collected and paid for their tickets, the trio proceeded into the park. In an instant, they became lost in the park's joyous atmosphere.

The sounds of patrons screaming with joy on the coaster filled their ears. They sighed blissfully with delight, as the scent of the park's food filled their nostrils and the overall merriment around them made them feel euphoric. "I can already tell this is gonna be a great day" Lincoln stated happily while addressing the viewer, "the question is...what to do first?"

What followed was a montage of Lincoln's Dairyland outing with the girls. The first place they visited were the Bumper Cars, where Stella showed some of her wild side. There, she not only managed to give a few bumps to the other riders.

But whenever someone attempted to ram _her_, she would pull off astounding fake out moves. On one such instant, as a rider chased after her at top speed; Stella performed a sort of drift with her car. This caused her pursuer to not only safely yet unexpectedly hit a wall.

But soon, said driver became an open target for the other bumper car drivers. Neither Jordan nor Lincoln could believe what they had witnessed. Upon rejoining her friends, Stella gave them a wink; lightly sniggering at the gaping mouth looks they gave her.

Then, all of a sudden; Jordan found herself surrounded by four other riders. They had formed a circle around her and were intent on giving her a good bumping. But much to Lincoln's surprise, she did not seem all that worried.

Then, the surrounding riders put the pedal to the metal and their cars swiftly zoomed towards her. Now, Lincoln knew Jordan was a tough gal and the cars were all well-padded to prevent any kind of mishaps. But the sight of all those riders closing in on Jordan made his heart pound vigorously.

Meanwhile, Jordan remained calm in her car; softly tapping her fingers against the wheel. _"Come on, guys...just a little closer"_ she thought to herself, as her eyes darted about. In an instant, Jordan saw something that made her chuckle; a gap in bottom right side of the opposing riders' formation.

This was exactly what she had been waiting for. With a broad smile on her face and a mischievous gleam in her eye, Jordan pressed her foot down on a secondary pedal; which caused her car to zoom backwards. Upon looking over her shoulder; she spotted her opening, positioned herself carefully and passed through.

Caught off-guard by this display of driving skills, the other riders failed to see they were all heading straight for one another. By the time they did, it was too late and sudden yet soft crash caused their bodies to jiggle in their seats like they were bobble heads.

Stella whooped loudly with excitement at Jordan's skills, while Lincoln simply stared in awe; unsure if what he witnessed was real. Unfortunately, Lincoln's daydreaming was suddenly disrupted by a sudden bump on his rear; which caused his car to lurch forward slightly. He turned around slightly, growling under his breath and saw another rider laughing at him.

Taking said laughter as a challenge; Lincoln revved up his car and began to chase after the rider. Upon seeing the chase, Jordan and Stella cheered wildly for their friend and decided to join him. There was much laughter, cheers and excitement in the air; during the remainder of the ride.

When it was all over, Lincoln and Stella exited from the attraction and couldn't contain their laughter. Coming up from the rear was Jordan, who was still recovering from the rush of the ride. "That was _awesome_, you guys" cheered Lincoln, "I've never seen driving skills like that before."

Stella chuckled proudly and gave her friend a bow. "Thank you for the kind praise, Sir" she said graciously, "it comes with the territory, after all the time I've spent go-karting before moving here." Upon hearing this, Jordan quickly snapped out of her daze and hurried over to them.

"Hold up, girlfriend" she said bluntly, "you did go-karting before...for how long?" Stella gave Jordan a sly smile, took out her phone and showed her a slideshow of herself; one containing photos of her holding a go-kart race trophy. "I'd been riding since I was eight" she said proudly, "been the three-time go-kart champ, before moving here."

Both Jordan and Lincoln couldn't help but stare in awe of their friend's achievements. "Man, that's cool" Lincoln sighed, "I haven't done any go-karting since...since..." In that moment, the boy's cheerful attitude began to slightly dampen; as a twinge of sadness began to wash over him.

Stella took notice of his attitude change and asked if he was alright. "Oh...yeah, I'm fine" Lincoln mumbled, "I was just...thinking of some things." Sensing that he had something on his mind, Jordan offered for them to have a quick lunch; before going on anymore attractions.

With a unanimous cry of "aye," the trio made their way towards the nearest snack vendor. Afterwards, they took a seat at a picnic area and began to munch on some hot dogs and steak fries. "So, Lincoln...what's up" questioned Stella, "why the long face about the go-karting thing?"

In response, Lincoln began to tell them all about a time where he once tried go-karting. "I was like...nine or ten, when we went down to the track" he began, "it was the biggest rush I had at the time; the wind in my face, the pounding in my heart, the twists and turns of the track." Stella couldn't help but sigh at Lincoln's words, for it reminded her of all the times _she_ once raced.

"So, do you still do it" questioned Stella, "I mean, do you still go go-karting?" This question suddenly caused Lincoln to grow tight-lipped, which made the girls concerned. Then, Stella suddenly realized why he was acting so strange.

"This is just a wild guess here" she began, "but am I right in guessing that...one of your sisters soiled your go-karting fun?" Lincoln's only reply to her words was a simple nod and a light tap on his nose, which symbolized she was right on the button. "To be more specific...it was Lynn" he sighed dejectedly, "her and her stupid desire to always win!"

While telling his story, a montage of images flashes by; ones showing off Lynn in her most unsportsmanlike manner. Whether it was plowing dangerously past the other riders, ramming into them from the sides, causing their vehicles to skid dangerously or shouting...words that are unfit for this story's rating; Lynn soiled everyone's fun, that day. "She broke over two-dozen rules on the track, that day" Lincoln grumbled, "which led to my entire family being banned...even me."

The last part of the story made him feel especially mad because he was the only one in the group to keep his cool, during the whole race. "You guys have no idea how much of a pain it is paying for your family's mistakes" he grumbled, "I made some too...but theirs have been so much worse." The girls murmured softly with remorse, sad to see their friend suffer such stresses.

"Don't worry about all that now, Linc" encouraged Jordan while patting his hands lightly, "today is _our_ day and nothing else outside of our fun matters, for now." Stella gave an enthusiastic "YEAH" in agreement and offered Lincoln one of her fries. Lincoln smiled warmly at his friend, thanked her for the fry and happily popped it into his mouth.

After finishing their snack, they proceeded to walk around the different attractions; hoping to find something that caught their eye. When suddenly, a voice came shouting out from seemingly out of nowhere. _"Step right up, folks; step right on up"_ it said with encouragement, _"try your luck and win yourselves a prize!"_

The trio began to scan through the crowd, trying to find the source of the shouting. On the northwestern side from where they stood, they spotted a vendor; shouting at passersby through a wooden megaphone. Behind him was a large dunking booth, filled with up to four feet of water.

To the right of the vendor was a sign; which read "three balls for one dollar." Beside the dunk tank was a wall that displayed a variety of stuffed animal prizes, ranging from natural to mythical animals. While taking a moment to observe the game; from the corner of his eye, Lincoln saw Jordan staring wishfully at the prize wall.

To be more specific, she was gazing at a polar bear doll that was just her size. Upon seeing this, an idea began to form in Lincoln's mind. _"Jordan has been so nice to me lately" _he thought to himself, _"what with letting me bunk with her, hanging out with me and putting together all these plans...I think I should return the favor."_

With this in mind, Lincoln puffed out his chest and made his way over towards the booth; much to the girls' surprise. "Excuse me, Sir" he cried, while hurrying towards the booth; "I'd like to try my luck." Upon saying this, he took a dollar from his wad of money and placed it on the counter.

The vendor smiled at the boy and handed him the three balls, wishing him good luck. As Lincoln readied himself to throw, he could hear the man in the seat starting to heckle him. "There's no way you're gonna dunk me, kid" the person chuckled, "those scrawny arms of yours couldn't throw a paper airplane!"

Normally, this sort of insult was nothing more than playful ribbing; something to help the players miss (all in good fun, of course.) But as Lincoln listened, something in the person's words sparked a bit of a bleak memory in the back of his mind. Soon, he began to see images of Lynn's ethereal form floating around him.

At the same time, these apparitions began to sling out hurtful comments to his psyche. Soon; they began to say things like "dream on," "hit the showers," "move aside, lightweight" and of course, "Stinkin'" (a nickname Lynn called him many times over.) Upon hearing these voices, Lincoln could barely concentrate on his first throw and soon sent it flying overhead of the tank.

There was a light cacophony of laughter from the onlookers behind him, even Jordan and Stella shared a soft chuckle. "Give it another try, kid" encouraged the vendor, "try to aim the ball a little lower, this time around." Lincoln gave a silent nod, took hold of the ball and positioned himself for the throw.

But once again, the person sitting above the tank began to heckle him. "Nice job with the last throw, boyo" the man sniggered, "you must've hit a bird or a kite somewhere." The crowd couldn't help but groan at the man's poor attempt at a joke. Even Lincoln found himself shaking his head in shame, while rolling his eyes.

"Man, the last time I heard jokes _that_ lame was when Luan..." The moment he thought of another of his sisters, Lincoln's heart began to race. Soon, he began to look back at all the April Fools incidents that happened because of her.

Though; it wasn't the amount of pies, joy buzzer shocks, banana slip pratfalls or even the hidden camera pranks she pulled that bothered him. No; in due time, Luan's pranking on April 1st quickly became incredibly elaborate...and borderline insane. He still remembered one particular April Fools incident he endured quite vividly.

(Brief Flashback)

While hanging out at Clyde's the day before, Luan went into his room and...did something to Lincoln's bed. Just before the sun rose, on that April 1st, all seemed quiet. Then, Lincoln felt his bed rocking and shaking violently; like he was in the middle of a storm at sea.

As Lincoln tried to figure out what was happening, he could hear the sounds of moaning and wailing from out of nowhere. Then, as he tried to call out for his family, he saw it; three ghoulish ghosts looming menacingly over his bed. The sight of these spirits was so shocking, it caused Lincoln to rush out of his room and run screaming out of the house in terror.

When he stopped running, moments later; Lincoln found himself standing in the middle of downtown. The sun had, at last risen into the sky and people came walking out of their homes; ready to greet the day. However, they were also greeted by a sight they didn't count on; a nine-year old boy, standing outdoors...in his undies.

Upon realizing the situation, Lincoln cursed himself for choosing not to wear his pajamas to bed. But it was so warm out, during the night before that he needed some form of relief. As Lincoln prepared to explain himself, there was a sudden and bright flash of light from behind him.

With a startled yelp, Lincoln turned around to find a camera lens sticking out from a bush. Then, the crowd around him began to laugh uproariously at him. Finally, to add insult to injury, Luan quickly popped out of the bush with a camera in her hand.

"Happy April Fools, Lil' Bro" she said with a smile, "I'd like to stay and chat...but I've got some photos to print." As she strutted off towards home, Luan turned around and offered one final statement. "Way to greet the day au natural, Lincoln" she sniggered with a slightly malicious tone, "but I never knew you could be so..._cheeky!_"

Upon hearing the comment, little Lincoln turned behind him to see a shocking sight. In all his running, he failed to notice how much his underwear was riding up his butt. This caused the shape of his behind to really show itself for all to see.

Lincoln could do nothing but stand in place, utterly mortified by what had happened to him. By the time he went back home, it was revealed that Luan rigged his bed with an old mechanical bull ride mechanism. Said mechanism, with the aid of a remote Luan kept in her room, allowed her to shake and shimmy his bed like a soda can.

(Back to the Present)

The family would've stepped in to help him, normally. But they were currently enduring their own April Fools traps. When Lincoln's mind snapped out of the memory, he could hear both the man seated over the dunk tank and the crowd behind him shouting for him to throw the ball.

Alas; due to his moment of distraction, Lincoln missed the target...again. This only gave the man in the chair more reasons to heckle Lincoln. "C'mon, little man" he chuckled, "my momma could knock me outta here no problem...and she's 103 years old!"

Just as Lincoln prepared to throw his final ball, Jordan quickly called for a time out. The vendor granted them a brief pause...but only for two minutes. After that, the girls hurried towards Lincoln and tried to comfort him.

"What's going on here, Linc" questioned Stella, "I know your pitching is rusty...but even you could take this guy." Jordan quickly scolded her friend for the comment, proclaiming it wasn't quite helping things. But much to their surprise, Lincoln seemed to ignore it.

"Sorry, girls...I really am" he murmured, "I just...every time I try to throw, I just keep thinking of...you know who." Nothing else needed to be said, after that; for those few words alone helped the girls understand his problem. Afterwards, Jordan took a moment to think up an idea.

After taking a moment to look at the crowd, the heckler over the booth and thinking on Lincoln's struggle; inspiration struck her. Before anyone could react, Jordan quickly took Lincoln by the shoulders and gave him a firm stare. "Okay, dude; listen very carefully" she began, "don't think about your sisters, right now...or the crowd around us, the vendor...or even me and Stella."

After that, she turned Lincoln around and directed his gaze towards the target. "Don't focus on anything here or up here" she murmured while lightly tapping his forehead, "focus only on the target ahead." With that said, Jordan quickly went back over to Stella's side; whispering softly "there is nothing but the target."

Once that was done, Lincoln's time out was finished and the game went back on. As Lincoln faced the booth again, he caught sight of the red and white target ahead of him. Then, he began to hear whispers in his ear; not of his sisters' voices...but of Jordan's.

_"Focus on the target...there is nothing but the target"_ echoed the voice, _"focus...focus...there is nothing but the target."_ With these words in mind, Lincoln began to feel himself getting calmer. This allowed him to look at the target more clearly and find the perfect trajectory to throw his ball.

After taking in a few deep breaths; he took position, reared his arm back, stomped his left foot down onto the pavement and sent the ball screaming forward. The world seemed to have gone into slow-motion, after the ball was sent flying. Everyone, young and old, watched anxiously; hoping that Lincoln would hit the target.

Meanwhile, Lincoln stood in place; his eyes clenched shut and his fingers crossed so tightly that they seemed ready to snap. Then, all of a sudden; Lincoln could hear the sound of something crashing hard against metal. This was followed by a startled shriek and a sudden splash of water.

When Lincoln opened his eyes to see what had happened, his jaw almost struck the floor. Ahead of him, the metal target had been knocked backwards and the once snarky dunk booth heckler was now wading around the tank. "I...I...I did it" muttered Lincoln, utterly shocked by the sight before him; "I did it...I DID IT, I WOOOON!"

As both the crowd and the game vendor proceeded to congratulate Lincoln, he couldn't help but blush. While only a theme park game, this was one of the rare times he ever won at something. Just then, his thoughts of joy were suddenly interrupted; when he found himself being squeezed from both sides.

"You did it, Lincoln; you won" cheered Stella, "we knew you had it in you!" Jordan shared in her friend's enthusiasm...perhaps, a little too much; as she soon lifted Lincoln off of his feet while squeezing him. In an instant, Jordan suddenly realized what was happening and quickly yet gently returned Lincoln back to the ground.

"Heh-heh...sorry about that" she mumbled shyly, "uh...congrats on winning the game, Lincoln." Lincoln couldn't help but blush as well, both from his victory and the sudden hug from his friend. For the moment, all was quiet; save for the people shouting their congratulations to Lincoln.

Finally, the vendor lightly tapped the bottom of his cane against Lincoln's back; snapping him out of his daze. "Congrats on the win, young man" he said warmly, "what prize would you like from the wall here?" For a moment or two, Lincoln began scratching his chin in thought.

Then, he remembered what he saw Jordan staring at earlier; the giant polar bear doll. With a bright smile on his face, he proudly gestured for the aforementioned plushie; earning a surprised gasp from the ladies. "Lincoln, I'm rather surprised" Jordan confessed, "I didn't think you were into these types of critters."

Then, much to the ladies' further surprise; Lincoln shook his head and handed the doll over to Jordan. "The prize was never meant for me" he admitted, "I wanted to win_ you_ something, to say...thanks for all you've done for me so far." To say Jordan was surprised by the gesture would be quite an understatement.

Not only did Lincoln win the prize for _her_, it was a polar bear doll as well; her favorite animal. "Lincoln, I...I don't know what to say" she gasped softly, "this is...this is just so thoughtful!" Upon hearing his friend's words, Lincoln shyly kicked his foot against the pavement; muttering that it was "nothing special."

Then, at that moment; he suddenly felt something that seemed to fill his body with 10,000 volts of electricity. In her excitement over Lincoln's kindness, Jordan delivered a quick yet affectionate kiss on his cheek. The poor boy was so shocked by the kiss; he seemed to freeze stone stiff.

The moment Stella saw him like this, she plucked out an ice cube from her drinking cup and stuck it down his shirt. The sudden chill of the cube caused Lincoln to instantly snap out of his daze...as well as dance about in shock. When he finally stopped, Lincoln couldn't help but glare at the two girls.

"Sorry, Linc...but I had to do it" giggled Stella, "if you stayed in one place for much longer, birds would start perching on you." This jest caused the two girls to laugh even harder and within moments, Lincoln found himself joining in their laughter. Moments later, the trio made their way towards their next destination; the Milk Shaker.

_"Hello, old friend"_ Lincoln thought with a smile, _"ready to make up for lost time?"_ As they made their way towards the ride, Jordan suddenly stopped in her tracks. "Uh...why don't you two go on instead, guys" she muttered, "I hear people tend to vomit a lot on this thing and I don't want anything to get on my new bear."

Lincoln smiled at his friend and gave her a thumbs up, telling her that he understood. With that, he and Stella made their way into the queue. From where she stood, Jordan watched her friends take their seats in the coaster car.

Within seconds, the coaster began to ascend its way up the first hill; causing the riders to bounce or giggle with excitement. Then, once arriving at the top; the coaster went flying and zigzagging every which way along the track. Even while on the ground, Jordan couldn't help but feel slightly anxious.

Sweat slid down from her forehead, her breathing was slightly shallow and her heart began to race. _"I had completely forgotten what this ride was like"_ she thought to herself, _"makes me wonder what the Butter Churn has in store for us."_ At that moment, her thoughts were suddenly disturbed by the loud sounds of guttural retching and vomiting.

This collection of noises didn't quite help with Jordan's nerves, much to her displeasure. Finally, she spotted her friends exiting the ride; both of whom were swaying slightly but still appeared quite happy. "Wow! That was absolutely wild" Lincoln cheered, "just like old times!"

As the trio left the Milk Shaker behind, they decided to take a trip through the House of Mirrors. There were many laughs and playful comments to be had, while inside. At one point; when Lincoln stood before one of the mirrors, he swore he looked near identical to his Pop-Pop.

After that, they decided to take a ride through "The Butcher Shop;" Dairyland's infamous haunted house. While it contained many familiar sights one would find in such a place; like ghouls, monsters and other things of the like. Much to the trio's shock, half of the haunted house was modeled after a butcher shop.

Jordan yelped at the sight of demonic butchers, as they brandished their meat cleavers at her. Stella couldn't help but whimper softly, as the soundtrack played distorted sounds of distressed mooing and even Lincoln felt close to wetting himself, when he saw the demonic cows around him. As the car rode towards the exit, the ride decided to give them one final scare.

From high above their heads, the trio was greeted by none other than The Harvester; a mad farmer from a horror film of the same name he once saw. With a mad cackle, the dummy lightly waved his scythe over their heads; causing them to yelp with fear. After that, there was a bright flash from behind the Harvester dummy.

Before departing, the trio spotted a hidden camera beneath the dummy's shadow. They couldn't help but wonder what that was all about, as the car passed through the exit door. "Hope you enjoyed the ride, everyone" the technician said with a genuine smile, "be sure to pick up your souvenir photo at the kiosk up ahead."

The trio gasped softly at the revelation, for none of them ever considered the ride had a hidden photo camera anywhere. After leaving the kiosk, the trio proceeded to go on several other attractions. They had a pleasant spin on the "Dairy-Go-Round," Stella wowed an entire crowd while riding on a mechanical bull, they almost got their minds rocked on the Scrambler and took a trip through the Fun House.

While in said fun house, a sudden blast from one of the air jets beneath them caused Jordan and Stella's skirts to fly up. This caused Lincoln to yelp softly and cover his eyes, not wishing to see something he shouldn't. After that, they had a brief pit stop for some ice cream.

While eating, Stella asked Lincoln if he was excited for the rest of his break. "I sure am" he replied, "although...I'm curious about whether or not some of the things everyone has planned for me will be my style." Jordan stopped licking her strawberry cone and asked for Lincoln to explain what he meant.

"Well...tomorrow or so, Carol and her friends will be taking me down to the spa" he explained, "I wonder if the place will welcome me or not." Soon after Lincoln said this, both Jordan and Stella suddenly burst out in laughter. "Why are you girls laughing" questioned Lincoln, both in confusion and mild offense; "I'm being serious here!"

Jordan was the first to calm down, a few seconds later and she gave her friend a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Sorry about that...you're just so funny, sometimes" she chuckled warmly, "why would you think a spa wouldn't welcome you?" Stella wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes and echoed the same question.

"Did you realy think only women went to spas" she asked; to which Lincoln responded with nothing more than a nod. "Lincoln, spas are for everybody" Jordan said with a mild eye roll, "they aren't just places people go to look pretty, you know." She then took out her phone and began to do a quick web search.

Upon finding what she wanted, Jordan showed Lincoln the main page for the Tranquil Springs Spa; one of Royal Woods' most famous relaxation establishments. "I think you'll like it, Lincoln" Jordan assured, "it's got all kinds of great stuff to try out." After pressing a button on the page, Lincoln got a look at all the spa's many beauty and relaxation treatments.

Among them was aromatherapy, Jacuzzis, massage treatments, hot stone treatments, mud baths. But there was one in particular that caught his eye. "This thing about 'wraps...' do they seriously wrap you up in seaweed" he asked, "sounds like something Lana would like."

Stella chuckled softly at his words and explained the nature of seaweed wraps to Lincoln. "They don't actually wrap you in seaweed, sorry to disappoint your sister" she stated, "it's actually more of an oil and mineral body mask, like the mud mask stuff people put on." Though not much of a science expert, Lincoln nodded slightly at his friend and urged her to continue.

"To make a long story short, they coat your body in the stuff and it helps nourish your skin; while you relax" she stated, "it also helps reduce any fatty parts in your body...no offense meant." Lincoln chuckled softly at her, assuring Jordan there was no harm done and muttered that he would consider such an idea. "To be honest, I'm more anxious for the massage and Jacuzzi parts" he admitted, "my body could use some soothing treatments."

The girls couldn't help but sigh dreamily at the idea, wishing they could come along. "Don't you two remember" questioned Lincoln, "Carol's crew invited everyone to join, if they wanted." Upon hearing this, Jordan and Stella each let out excited squeals; which came close to bursting Lincoln's eardrums.

"Man, I wonder if I'm gonna still have my hearing by the end of break" Lincoln said to the camera, "all the same, I'm just as excited as they are." Eventually; the trio had finished their ice cream and decided to head off to the main attraction, the Butter Churn. But when she got a closer look at the tower, Jordan suddenly felt the color drain from her face.

"Uh...I don't know about this, guys" she mumbled nervously, "I think we should consider riding this another time...like say, one-hundred years from now?" Stella lightly scoffed at her friend and urged her to give it a shot. "Who knows, it may not be as bad as you think" she stated, "only one way to find out."

With that, she and Lincoln swiftly took their seats on the ride; waiting for their third "partner-in-crime" to join them. At first, Jordan couldn't help but hesitate, wondering if she'd get sick on the ride...or worse. After hearing her friends continued urges, combined with a few impatient shouts from people behind her; Jordan relented.

She took a moment to ask the technician to watch over her doll for her and took her seat beside Stella. Once everyone was on board, a second worker walked around each seat and began to secure everyone's harnesses. "Welcome to the Butter Churn, Ladies and Gentlemen" she said softly, "we urge you all to please remain seated, keep all limbs on firmly placed in front of you at all times and do not unbuckle your belts or harnesses."

Once everyone was secure, the girl went over to her partner and they began pressing a series of buttons on the command console. While this was going on, Jordan couldn't help but shiver softly; wondering what would happen next. Then, much to her surprise; everyone felt themselves being lifted slowly into the air.

Further and further up they were carried; until they were up so high, Lincoln could see the parking lot. After that, all was quiet and still for what felt like ages. Then, there came a soft clicking noise and...the shuttle suddenly fell downward at an incredible speed.

During the whole way down, Jordan and Lincoln were going mad with fear; while Stella cheered wildly with delight. Then, just when it was two or three quarters down; the shuttle suddenly flew back up almost to the top. For almost ten or fifteen minutes, it went up and down at incredible rates.

As the ride came to its end, the descent went much slower; until it came to a complete stop at the bottom. Once everyone had been properly unbuckled, the passengers came walking out of the exit queue. Once they were unbuckled; Jordan, Lincoln and Stella came staggering out of the ride.

Despite having their world literally be rocked around, they all still appeared to be in one piece. "Everybody good...no one wants to toss their cookies or nothin'" questioned Lincoln, as he shook the cobwebs from his head; "because I'm feelin'...r-r-right as rainbows." Stella's only response was a soft smile and a brief thumbs up.

Jordan, however seemed to be rather silent; which worried Lincoln greatly. "Uh oh...Jordan, are you okay" he asked, "if you can hear me...say something." After a couple of seconds, they could faintly hear Jordan muttering something under her breath. Concerned, Stella leaned in closer; asking her to speak a little louder.

"I gotta...I gotta...I-I gotta..._I GOTTA DO THAT AGAIN"_ she exclaimed suddenly with delight, "that was the single wildest thing I've ever done before!" Upon recovering from their initial shock from Jordan's outburst, Lincoln and Stella chuckled warmly at her and agreed to ride it again. After riding on the Butter Churn two more times, the trio left the ride behind and checked their phones for the time.

Upon doing so, their eyes almost popped from their heads; for each of their phones showed the hour of 4:50...just ten minutes away from five. "Wow, I had no idea it was getting so late" muttered Lincoln, "wanna grab some pizza for the ride home?" While Stella openly agreed to the idea, Jordan wasn't quite ready to leave yet.

"I vote yes on the pizza" she said with a smile, "but let's just stay for a couple of minutes longer." She then brought up the day's activities on the park's webpage. There, they saw an announcement for a fireworks display going off at 5 o'clock.

"Let's stay and watch that, first; then, we'll go home" Jordan requested, "please...it'll be the perfect end to our day here." Lincoln thought on it for a moment and then, he realized she was right. After all the fun they had, a fireworks show was just the thing to close it out on.

"I just hope either of your moms will be okay about us sticking around" Lincoln stated, "I don't want to face their wrath, if they get worried." Stella chuckled softly and assured him everything was okay. "Before riding on the Butter Churn the third time, I called my mom" she explained, "no one was home, though; so, I left a message."

Lincoln felt mixed emotions about this revelation. On one hand, it was good that Stella thought ahead and informed her family they might be late. But on the other hand, he wondered why either of her parents didn't answer.

_"They must've been having dinner, when she called them" _Lincoln thought, _"all the same, at least they're informed."_ With that in mind, they hurried off to the main square of the park; where the staff was finishing up in readying the launchers. With eager anticipation, both of Lincoln's gal pals (note the title card shout out) took out their phones and prepared to record the display.

Lincoln took his seat on a bench, which offered a clear view of the sky above him. "Yup, today has been an awesome day" Lincoln sighed while facing the camera, "road on plenty of great rides, had some delicious food and I actually managed to win a prize; which Jordan seems to really love." As he looked up at the sky, Lincoln's smile slightly faded into a soft frown.

"Although...I can't shake the feeling that something will go horribly wrong" he muttered softly, "something about Stella's folks not being home and all my nightmares and visions just gives me a...sense of dread." While Lincoln was lost in thought, the first of the fireworks was sent flying into the sky. Seconds later, this rocket suddenly exploded into a burst of beautiful green and white colors.

Everyone gasped loudly with delight and awe, including Lincoln; then, the next rocket went up flying. Upon detonation, it created an image of a flower in the sky. Several others that followed created more images of springtime images; like birds, bumblebees or beach balls (to symbolize Spring Break.)

This went on for a while but for Lincoln, the sheer beauty of the fireworks display felt like an eternal kaleidoscope of colors. Finally, the workers brought out a large rocket onto the launcher; which would serve as the grand finale. After the final four smaller rockets went off, the large one was sent zooming into the air; like a space shuttle launching into orbit.

After ten seconds of waiting, the rocket exploded into a massive burst of colors. These colors briefly illuminated the night sky so brightly, it almost resembled an Aurora Borealis. After that, the crowd erupted into a wild fit of cheers and whooping.

"That...was..._awesome_" shouted Lincoln, as he hurried towards the girls, "did you get all that...please, tell me that you did!" Both young ladies nodded and showed him the entire thing on their video phones. "I am totally posting this on my social media tomorrow" chuckled Jordan, "people are gonna go wild over it!"

After that; the trio headed towards the exit, while finishing up their pizzas. "Thanks again for taking me here, ladies" Lincoln said with the brightest of smiles, "this was the most fun I've had yet at Dairyland." Both ladies smiled at him warmly and told him it was their pleasure.

"We're just happy to see you smiling again, Linc" Jordan stated, "here's hoping the rest of Break keeps you smiling." With that said, she picked up her polar bear doll and headed out the gate; with Lincoln and Stella following close behind her.

(Scene Change: Downtown Royal Woods)

Meanwhile, outside of the kids' neighborhood; Stella's folks were seen in their car, driving off somewhere. After a while, they had reached their destination; a small bistro in the center of downtown. There, they saw Principal Huggins sitting alongside of Jordan's parents.

The couple looked at one another in confusion, wondering what all this was about. Then, Huggins began gesturing for the couple to come sit with them; which they did. "Good evening, everyone; so sorry for disturbing each of your respective evenings" he muttered, "I certainly hope your day has gone well?"

After taking a sip from his cup, Jordan's father insisted the principal to cut to the chase. "He's right, Principal Huggins; what's this all about" grumbled Stella's father, "you best have a good reason for calling us here during our suppertime." After that was said, Huggins couldn't help but fiddle with his collar a bit; as if nervous about what to say next.

"I have gathered you all here to discuss a rather sensitive matter" he sighed deeply, "it involves a classmate your daughters are friends with." Their curiosity piqued, both pairs of parents urged Huggins to continue. "Well...I don't know if I should ask" he mumbled nervously, "but...what have your daughters told you about Lincoln Loud's situation so far?"

(AN: The Butter Churn is loosely based off of a popular Dorney Park ride known as The Dominator. I hope I got the descriptions of the ride's functions correct. It's been ages since I last rode on it, you see)

(Second AN: I also hope I got the description of the body wrap treatment right. All these years, I truly thought people got wrapped in real seaweed)


	7. Chapter Seven: Lincoln at the Spa

Lincoln at the Spa

With Dairyland behind them, the trio decided to head off for home. But the question was...where would Lincoln go home to? On one hand, he considered going back to his own home; admittedly missing everybody there. He missed his parents, he missed his pets, he missed _Lana's_ pets...heck, he even missed his sisters in general.

But something in his gut told him that things might still be on edge, back home. "Your folks okay with me bunking with you again" Lincoln asked, "I'd ask them myself but...you know." It was then that Stella offered him to stay at _her_ place, this time.

"We've got loads of room to spare" she stated, "plus, my nana has been anxious to meet one of my school friends." Lincoln considered the idea, for a moment; then, he turned to Jordan for a second opinion. "Go with her, dude" she encouraged, "it'll give me and my folks time to prep for the pool party.

With that said, Lincoln made up his mind and took Stella up on her offer. "Awesome news, just go pick up your things and head for my house" she stated, while racing off for home. Some time later, Lincoln stepped out through the door of Jordan's house; carrying arm-loads worth of bags containing his stuff.

As he walked along the sidewalk, he said his final goodbyes (for now) to Jordan and headed down the westward side of the neighborhood. Eventually, Lincoln had reached his destination; a charming ground-level house that stretched five feet wide across the yard. "This must be the place" Lincoln muttered, "hope Stella will be home."

After taking in a deep breath, Lincoln approached the door and gently pressed the doorbell. Afterwards, he nervously waited for someone to answer. After a while, the door remained unopened and Lincoln wondered if Stella had made it home alright.

Then, at that moment; there came the sound of soft yet frantic shuffling inside. At first, Lincoln presumed it might've been Stella. But the shuffling noises inside made him think it was someone dragging their feet across the floor. The next thing he knew, the door swung open and Lincoln was greeted by a surprising sight.

Standing before him was an elderly woman, presumably in her late 60's. She had long, black hair with slight streaks of grey on the sides. She was dressed in an orange blouse with some floral designs sewn into it, a long red skirt and Lincoln saw a pair of thick-lens glasses on her nose.

These glasses appeared to have a chain hooked at the end of both handles. This chain was gold colored and was neatly wrapped around the woman's neck. But what really caught Lincoln's attention was the woman's expression.

With her nose scrunched up slightly, her lips pursed into a light scowl and her cheeks crinkling slightly from said scowl; Lincoln could tell she seemed flustered about something...possibly him. After a moment of silence, the woman suddenly began shouting at him in, as he felt, a bizarre dialect. "_Sino ka, bakit ka narito_" she demanded firmly, "_Anuman ang iyong ibinebenta, hindi namin nais ang anuman_!"

Lincoln was at a complete loss; since first meeting her, he'd never had the chance to visit Stella's home before tonight. Nor did he ever had the chance to meet her family. As such, he didn't expect her grandmother to appear so intimidating.

But most of all, it was the language she spoke that took him by surprise. Alternative languages weren't quite his strong suits, back at school. As the woman began to, presumably, question Lincoln's presence on her doorstep; Stella suddenly rushed outside.

Afterwards, she and the old woman engaged in a mildly heated talk. What took Lincoln by surprise was the fact that Stella was speaking in the same language the woman used. After a few seconds, both ladies began to speak to one another in much softer tones; which gave Lincoln some comfort.

Then, much to his surprise, the woman turn towards Lincoln...and smiled. Unsure of where this was going, Lincoln chuckled nervously and smiled back at her. Stella appeared to notice his uneasiness and decided to help clear the air.

"Sorry about all that, Lincoln" she said with a light chuckle, "my grandmother here was napping and when she heard the doorbell, she thought you were a solicitor...and she _haaates_ it when salespeople disturb her nap-time." After this was said, the old woman approached Lincoln and lightly patted him on the head; as a sign of greeting. She then proceeded to greet him in the same odd language she used earlier.

When she noticed the odd look on Lincoln's face, the woman realized her error and cleared her throat. "So sorry, young man" she suddenly murmured in English, "I meant say 'hello, nice meeting you.'" Despite the somewhat broken structure of her words, Lincoln nodded in understanding and waved hello.

"If you don't mind my asking, guys; what was that language you spoke earlier" he asked cautiously, "it's not something I often hear." Stella giggled softly at his naivety and explained that that her nana was speaking Tagalog. "My nana was born and raised in the Philippines, you see" she stated, "she's tried learning to speak English for some time...but she can only say small phrases." Lincoln nodded in understanding and asked if she could translate for him, if needed.

With a bright smile, Stella happily accepted the job and welcomed him inside. "Make yourself at home, Linc" she stated, "sorry my folks aren't home, Nana said they had to step out for something." Lincoln nodded in understanding and thanked Stella for her hospitality.

Once inside, Lincoln neatly placed his bags on the living room floor and took in his surroundings. Though he's hung out with Stella before, this was his first time being in her house. The room was decorated with a combination of traditional Filipino cultural items.

There were collections of photos hanging on the wall, some of family and others just random paintings of nature. Over on the east side of the room; he saw a pair of small wall mirrors, some unique yet strange floral pieces, a plaque bearing the sun from the Philippine flag with the word "home" stationed below it and a pair of wedding photos. The first one was in black and white, which Lincoln presumed was the grandmother's and the second photo was in color but appeared slightly faded.

Over on the west wall, he saw a beautiful painting of people on a springtime meadow hanging from a nail and another one of a herd of cattle. On the coffee table, Lincoln spotted what looked like a medium-sized rooster carved from oak wood. But it was painted so beautifully, he almost assumed it was a real rooster.

He was so lost in awe from what he saw, Lincoln suddenly yet safely fell backwards onto a sofa behind him. Upon recovery, he could see that he was sitting on an "L" shaped sectional sofa. On the right side, he saw a long metal lamp; one that seemed to stretch itself over his head.

In front of him was an HD flat-screen television, a DVR and a DVD player. All of which were seated inside a sort of wooden shelving unit. "This is a lovely home you and your family have, Stella" Lincoln stated, "I love how well the old and new stuff melds together."

Stella thanked him for his kind words and said it was her mom's idea. "When they first decided to let Nana move in with us, we wanted to help her feel right at home" she explained, "so, we hung some of her home décor up with ours." Lincoln nodded slightly at her, highly pleased by how much Stella's folks wanted to make her grandmother feel comfortable.

But there was something about the story that nagged at him. "Please forgive me, if this seems like I'm overstepping any boundaries" he said softly, "but...why did you choose to let your Nana move in with you?" Upon asking this, the elderly woman began to murmur something in her native Tagalog to Stella.

Though he couldn't understand it, the tone in the woman's voice sounded mildly distressed. "Oh, my gosh; I'm so sorry" Lincoln cried in alarm, "I didn't mean to make your nana upset!" Both ladies faced Lincoln silently, which made Lincoln feel somewhat uneasy.

Finally, the old woman removed her glasses and lightly swiped her hand across her eyes; drying away some tears. "No...No, it alright" she muttered in her broken English, "I just get...sad, whenever I think of home." After that; with her nana's permission, Stella decided to tell Lincoln her story.

It happened when Stella was no older than seven, back in her old home town. There was a storm; one so strong that it wiped out a lot of homes, including her nana's. Thankfully, she had been away from the premises, playing Chess with some friends down at the Community Center.

"That afternoon, everything was going super well" Stella explained, "then...everyone heard the wind bashing against the walls." By this point, Lincoln was getting antsy with fear. "Thankfully, the center was structurally sound and was able to withstand a lot of the storm" Stella assured, "but all Nana could think about was her home."

Sensing both the anxiety welling up in both her nana _and_ Lincoln, she decided to cut the story short. "In the end, there was a lot of damage left behind" she muttered sadly, "and while my Nana's house was still standing, it was beyond any repair we could afford." Her nana quickly interrupted and spoke yet another phrase in Filipino, which Stella translated as "my house was given to my brother, he have more money than me."

To say Lincoln was mortified by the tale would be putting it mildly. He was beyond shocked by it all; having almost lost his own home to a similar storm, ages ago. "After that, my parents took her in" Stella stated, "though they didn't have the funds to repair her house, they had the right amount to support her and me."

Lincoln couldn't help but cry a little, at the end of the story. He was genuinely touched by how devoted Stella and her family were to each other. Deep in his heart, he remembered just how much his own parents and sisters shared such devotion; when the moment came.

Now, he wished that they could be that way again; just like old times. After the story was ended, all was silent for what felt like ages. Upon sensing the aura of despair in the air, Lincoln tried to think of something else to discuss.

That was when he remembered all the paintings he saw earlier. "If you don't mind me saying so, I...love all the art stuff you have here" he complimented cautiously, "might I ask what auction you purchased them from?" This question seemed to help lighten the mood a bit, as the expression on Nana's face slightly lit up.

"I no buy paintings" she replied, "made them myself, every one of them." Lincoln couldn't help but gasp at the revelation. "You did all of _these_" he exclaimed in awe, "they're all beautiful!" Both ladies seemed pleased with Lincoln's words, as they each began to giggle softly.

"My Nana can't take all the credit, though" Stella interjected, "some of the animal paintings were done by my mom, when she was in college." Stella then went on to explain how her Nana inspired her mother to become a professional artist. "You know, Nana...Lincoln's kind of an artist himself" she said slyly, "but mostly with comics."

Mildly intrigued, Nana asked Lincoln to show some of his skills. "No...I couldn't" he murmured humbly, "I'm good...but I'm not _half _as good as your daughter-in-law." Despite the truth in his words, the ladies still encouraged him to show off his skills.

With a playful yet reluctant sigh, Lincoln asked for a pen and a piece of paper. In a flash, his hands began their work. The ladies were utterly amazed by how quickly he was drawing.

After three minutes, Lincoln had finished his drawing and showed it off. "It's nothing that special" he said with a blush, "it's just me with my dog, Charles." Nana took the paper from his hands and began to observe it intently, all while fiddling with her glasses.

After a while; she handed back the drawing to Lincoln, patted his shoulder and smiled. "Very good work" she muttered sweetly, "Stella right, you good artist...very good." Lincoln's blush intensified due to her words and he shyly mumbled his thanks.

After each of them got acquainted, Stella took out a blanket from the hall closet and brought it over to the sofa. "Hope you don't mind sleeping on the couch, Lincoln" she stated, "I'd offer up a room but Nana uses the only guest room we have." With a bright smile on his face, Lincoln happily assured his friend he was quite alright.

"Again, thanks for letting me stay over" he stated, "along with being so nice to me, when this all started." Stella gave him a sweet grin and, much to his surprise, enveloped him in a light yet friendly hug. "It's no trouble at all, Linc" she assured, "it's like my nana says, _'Ang isang mabuting kaluluwa ay laging tumutulong sa mga nangangailangan.'_"

Once again, Lincoln felt dumbfounded by her use of the Tagalog language and asked what the phrase meant. "It means 'a good soul always helps those in need'" she explained, "and after hearing your story at school, when this began; I knew you were in need of a friend." Lincoln felt as though his cheeks were aching from smiling so much...but he didn't care.

After all that had happened, it was nice that he had some people looking out for him (besides Clyde.) It was now 8 o'clock, when Lincoln first setting up his spot on the sofa to sleep on. As he headed into the bathroom to change into his pajamas, the door suddenly opened and Stella's parents entered the house.

"Mom, Dad; you're back" cried Stella with joy, as she greeted them with a hug; "I got worried, when you didn't answer my earlier phone call." Stella's mother gave her a loving chuckle and apologized for not answering. "Your father and I had to step out for something important, earlier on" she explained, "we had no idea we'd be out this long."

Upon hearing this, Stella asked what they needed to leave home for. "That's not important now, sweetie" Stella's father said suddenly, "I'd like to hear about _your_ day." With a small yet still excitable squeal, Stella began to regale her parents with her venture into Dairyland.

"We all had such fun there" she exclaimed, "Lincoln even won a prize for my friend, Jordan at the dunk booth." Stella's father made a soft noise, upon hearing this; as if impressed by Lincoln's actions. "Where is the young man" he asked, "I hope he got here okay."

Suddenly, everyone heard the soft sound of a toilet flushing; followed by the soft flow of water from the sink's faucet. Once it was turned off, Lincoln exited the bathroom; fully clothed in his nightwear and appearing happy. When he caught sight of Stella's parents, he suddenly yelped with alarm and stood at attention.

"Good evening, Sir and Ma'am" he exclaimed with mild nervousness in his tone, "we made sure to come here at 5PM, safe and sound; rest assured." Upon seeing him address them in this manner, Stella's parents suddenly burst out in laughter. After a while, her father was the first to calm down and he smiled at Lincoln.

"At ease, young man" he sighed happily, "we had no doubt that you'd both be alright." Then, all of a sudden; Nana began to speak to the two of them in a most joyful tone. Occasionally, Stella's parents would cast a glance Lincoln's way and smile.

"My mother says you were very kind to her" Stella's father stated, "she said you also have great skill in art, like my wife does." Lincoln shyly ruffled his hair and kicked his heel lightly against the carpet. "I told her my skills were not as good as hers" he mumbled, "but thanks for the compliment."

Minutes later, Lincoln had nestled himself snugly beneath his blanket and rested his head upon one of the throw pillows; anxious for a good night's rest. Before dozing off, he saw Stella enter the kitchen for a glass of water and wished her good night. "Night, Lincoln" she said with a yawn, "get plenty of rest...we'll need it for tomorrow."

Lincoln nodded his head slightly with joy, anxious for their trip to the spa on the morrow. But then, a sudden sense of dread hit him like a blow to the head. The last time he tried to sleep, he had nightmares about his sisters coming to get him...and he did _not_ want to endure that again.

Nor did he want to make anyone around him feel worried about his restlessness. "Um...Stella, sorry if I seem like a bother" he mumbled, "but...you have anything that might help me sleep easier during the night?" Just as she was about to question Lincoln's request, Stella suddenly realized the reason behind it; his nightmares.

"Would you like some sleeping pills" she suggested, "maybe some warm milk will help, instead." As Stella began to run through her ideas, Nana suddenly stepped in and asked if she could be any help. Through the use of Tagalog, Stella told her about the nightmares Lincoln had been dealing with over the past day or so.

With a light nod of the head and a murmur of understanding, Nana quickly went into the kitchen and began searching around the spice rack. Afterwards, she took out some powdered tea and mixed it with the spices into a cup of warm water. Once finished, she approached Lincoln and offered it to him; muttering "drink...drink."

While still a little hesitant; after all the kindness she and her granddaughter showed him, Lincoln couldn't dare refuse her order. But as he held the cup up to his lips, the aroma from the beverage suddenly filled his nostrils and his eyes began to water. After muttering how much the beverage smelled so odd, Lincoln was ready to put the cup aside.

"Drink it, Lincoln...all of it" Stella ordered firmly, "trust me, it tastes better than it smells." With that statement; Lincoln, slowly but surely, placed the rim of the cup to his lips and took a sip. Once the liquid went into his mouth, Lincoln's eyes widened with surprise.

The mix of the spices and tea leaves gave the drink a sort of...bittersweet taste. But what really took Lincoln off guard was what happened next. Upon downing the last few drops from the cup, he let out a satisfied sigh and thanked Nana for the drink.

Then, he suddenly let out a loud yawn and his eyelids began to feel heavy. "Wha...What...What's going on" he slurred out softly, "why do I feel so (yawn) tired all of the sudden?" With a giggle, Stella explained that her nana gave him a special home remedy she made long ago.

"It's a combination of chamomile tea, lavender, Valerian root and a little cinnamon to give it a sweet taste" she listed out, "it will help you sleep easier during the night." Lincoln smiled at the two ladies and thanked them, proclaiming that the drink truly was making him feel more relaxed. After that, his head plopped backwards onto the pillow and he began to snore loudly.

(Line Break)

The next morning; Lincoln stepped out of Stella's house, feeling beyond happy and fresh as a bee. "Thanks again for that drink last night, Nana" he said over his shoulder, "I slept perfectly, not a single nightmare." The old woman chuckled at him and gave Lincoln a quick hug, before he left the house.

"You good boy, Lincoln" she said warmly, "come again soon, please?" Despite her broken English, Lincoln understood her perfectly and promised he would drop by more often. After that, him and Stella thanked her parents for breakfast and left the property.

"Have fun at the spa you two" called Stella's mother, "we'll see you later!" After shouting out their goodbyes, the two preteens hurried off down the lane to meet with the others. "I got a text from Jordan, during breakfast" Stella informed, "she said she and the others will be waiting for us at the bus stop."

Lincoln nodded in understanding and decided to challenge Stella to a race. "Last one to reach the bus stop is a rotten egg" he said joyfully while racing off, Stella smiled warmly at her friend and swiftly gave chase after him. As she began to slowly catch up to him, she shouted "the last one may be a rotten egg...but the _first _one has to eat it!"

With that said, they both laughed and continued to race down the rest of the walkway. In time, they could see the bus stop up ahead; their friends all chatting idly with each other around the bench. But Lincoln could also see that Stella was catching up and so, he tried to put on more speed.

But as he did this, he could feel his chest tightening slightly and his breathing coming out in heaves. He could feel his earlier breakfast calories burning violently, with every step. Then, without warning; Lincoln suddenly slipped on a discarded soda can and went flying into the air.

As he descended, Lincoln closed his eyes in alarm; fearing that he might crash onto the pavement. But then, he felt himself land safely into a pair of strong yet thick arms. "Whoa there, little dude" a gruff voice said with a laugh, "you almost took a spill there but don't worry, Chaz has ya."

Lincoln opened his eyes and was greeted by a very familiar face. It was a young, heavyset high school boy with dark orange hair, which was covered a blue cap turned backwards, a gold t-shirt with cream colored stripes, dark grey jeans and white shoes. In the past, Lincoln always heard Leni talk to him on the phone or respond to his text messages.

But he hadn't seen Chaz face to face since they crossed paths at the Ace Savvy Convention, not too long ago. "Wow, thanks for the save there" Lincoln muttered while stepping safely back onto the ground, "long time to see, Chaz; how've you been?" The high schooler chuckled warmly at him, muttered the phrase "fair to middling" and gave him a high five.

"Heard you and the girls here were off to the spa" he stated, "mind if me and my sister tag along?" Lincoln gave a joyful laugh and nodded with great enthusiasm. "I don't mind at all, the more the merrier" he said with a smile, "but...I didn't know you had a sister."

After that, a young lady stepped out from behind Chaz and approached Lincoln. Upon looking at her, he recognized the girl from Lori's house party a few months back. With that memory in mind, Lincoln felt that the girl looked no different than before.

She still sported the same adorable ponytail, wore the same long-sleeved, off-shoulder shirt with white and lavender stripes. Underneath said shirt was a black dress but Lincoln could only see the skirt part and the straps over her shoulders. Lastly, she still wore the same brown, high-heeled leather boots and long purple socks.

Yet, despite her unchanged appearance; something about the girl's demeanor felt different. Then, much to his surprise; the girl suddenly scooped him up in a tight body hug and begun to spin in place. "Carol, you didn't tell me we were waiting for this guy" she gushed warmly, "he's a total riot, which means our spa day will be all the better."

Caught off guard by this statement, Lincoln questioned if she truly knew who he was. "Of course I do, Silly Billy" the girl said sweetly, "you're Lincoln, Lori's lil' bro...the nut ball who did all those cool party tricks for us!" Lincoln couldn't help but blink in surprise, upon hearing her.

He never realized how much of an impression he left, during Lori's party. "Okay, Dana; I'm sure he's happy to see you too" Carol called out, "but if you keep spinning him like that, he'll be too dizzy to enjoy his spa day." With that statement, the girl (known as Dana) stopped spinning in place and released Lincoln from her hug."

Upon recovering from his dizzy spell, Lincoln presented himself before Dana and shyly offered his hand in greeting. "Um...it...It's really nice to see you again" he mumbled, "thank you for joining us." Dana couldn't help but chuckle softly at his behavior, not in a mocking way but in a sweet one.

"This kid is just too much" she gushed loudly, "fun, talented and cute to boot." Upon being called cute, Lincoln's face suddenly lit up as red as a beet. "Um...thank you, but I...I'm not _that_ special" he murmured, "I'm a lot of things...but certainly not cute."

The High School girls, Jordan, Stella and even Chaz couldn't help but giggle at his modestly. Then, Dana suddenly ran her hand tenderly through his hair. While she did this, Dana began to compliment on it; claiming some girls would kill to have hair as unique as his.

This statement caused several of the other ladies to call out in agreement, which seemed to make Lincoln blush harder. Then, he took a look around and noticed that something was missing. "Where is Haiku, didn't she want to come" questioned Lincoln, "I mean...I know primping isn't a Goth thing but still."

The girls understood Lincoln's concern and Jordan decided to speak on Haiku's behalf. "When I got home, a made a call to everybody to remind them of the spa day" she explained, "but Haiku decided to decline, said she needed to hold an emergency meeting with her...Junior Morticians Club at her place." Several of the girls couldn't help but shudder softly, questioning why someone would make a club based around morticians.

"Wait...I know that club" Lincoln exclaimed, "my sister is the president of it...I think; so, how could they hold an emergency meeting without her knowing." This statement caused each of the girls to narrow their eyes firmly. This caused Lincoln to think he had said something wrong.

But then, he realized that if an emergency meeting was involved; Lucy might have been the topic behind it. "Haiku apologizes for not coming, Lincoln" Jordan stated, "but she will meet you in the future, at the Burnt Bean; most definitely." Lincoln thanked her for passing on Haiku's message to him and took a seat between Carol and Dana on the bench; waiting anxiously for the bus to arrive.

(Line Break)

One bus ride later, the gang reached their destination; the Tranquil Springs Spa. Upon entering, Lincoln spotted someone rush over to Carol and warmly greet her with a hug and a light kiss on both cheeks. He was a young man, about thirty-five years old and appeared to be of Latin descent.

He had a slim let lightly muscular physique, long black hair tied into a ponytail, a sort of chin strap goatee style of facial hair, wore a purple short-sleeved shirt and black leather pants. "Hello again, Fernando" Carol greeted the man warmly, "I'm here for the group appointment my friends and I made." The man called Fernando nodded in understanding and then greeted the group with the same friendliness he showed Carol (sans the cheek kisses.)

That was when he looked down and spotted Lincoln, who appeared rather nervous beneath his gaze. "Hmm...I've never seen _your _face around here, _amigo_" he stated, "you must be new." Lincoln gulped the lump in his throat down and admitted this was his first ever spa visit.

"Well, young man; prepare yourself" Fernando said suddenly with a smile, "when we're done with you, you'll feel like a new man...er, young man." With that said, Fernando moved the velvet rope aside and ushered the group in. But before they left the main lobby, he gave them one final reminder.

"You will find your towels and robes in the next room" he stated, "you will need them for the steam room and hot tub." The moment he heard about the hot tub, Lincoln couldn't help but sigh blissfully. A good soak would be just the thing to help relieve him of his days of stress.

Thankfully, his swim trunks were packed in with all his other things; when Jordan's mother went to pick them up at his house just days ago. "So...uh, what do we do first" questioned Lincoln, "I'm not sure if there's a schedule here or if we just do whatever we want." Several of the girls nodded at him, understanding his confusion.

"You're welcome to try whatever you like, Lincoln" Carol encouraged, "me and Whitney were gonna go hit the mud baths, wanna join in?" Lincoln appreciated the offer but declined; assuring her he'd join in, later on. With that decided, Carol and Whitney headed off for the mud bath area; leaving Lincoln with the others.

That was when Chaz suggested heading in for the steam room. "A good steam helps clear the pores of all unwanted muck" he explained, "it's also good for helping cleanse the spirit." Lincoln murmured with intrigue and decided to take up on Chaz's offer.

The rest of the girls went off for some Mani-Pedis and headed off for the salon. "See you in a bit, Lincoln" shouted Stella, "we'll all meet back here, when we're all done." Lincoln gave his friends a thumbs up and hurried off down the eastward side of the spa.

(Line Break)

Moments later, the world was lost in a fog of relaxing steam and moisture; as Lincoln eased back against the wall of the Steam Room. "Man...this is sooooo nice" he droned in a relaxed voice, "I never thought being in a steam room could feel _this_ good!" Chaz nodded slightly, also deep into a sense of relaxation and eased himself into a comfortable seated position.

"So, fellow Ace in the hole" he chuckled while using an Ace Savvy fandom nickname, "if you don't mind my asking, Chaz wants to know what brings you here?" This sudden question almost shook Lincoln out of his relaxed state. But the warmth of the steam managed to keep him from panicking too much.

"It...It's a long story dude" Lincoln said softly, "one that's too complicated and...a bit too dramatic to get in to." This only seemed the pique Chaz's interest in the story further. "You can tell me anything, lil' man" he urged kindly, "we Ace Savvy fans always stick together."

Lincoln smiled slightly at him, remembering how Becky said the same thing way back when. But he still hesitated, regardless; wondering how he would react to his story. That was when Chaz realized why Lincoln was so uneasy and saw the other occupants in the room.

"Don't worry about them, my man" he assured, "they're far too relaxed to listen in on our conversation." Lincoln felt some sliver of comfort in Chaz's words but still decided to exercise caution, regardless. So, as the water continued to hiss on the hot coals and the other spa patrons relaxed in their seats; Lincoln regaled Chaz with his story as quietly as possible.

(Line Break)

Ten to twelve minutes later, the door opened; releasing a large puff of hot steam to the outside. Everyone exited the room feeling totally refreshed, including Chaz and Lincoln. However, the former appeared to have a look of shock plastered on his face.

"Well...that's basically, all that's been going on; up until now" Lincoln murmured, "so...what do you think?" It took a while but when he managed to find his voice again, Chaz ran a hand through his moisture-soaked hair. "It's not that I don't believe you, my dude" he muttered, "it's just...a lot to take in."

Lincoln nodded in understanding; remembering how days ago, every one of the girls felt the same way. But what really shocked Chaz was the fact Leni, his own girlfriend, was a part of Lincoln's strife. "Does anyone else know about this" he asked, "like neighbors or your teachers or anyone else?"

In response, Lincoln mentioned how the story traveled through the grapevine a bit; via either through the girls' folks or to each other. Then, his school principal learned about it and possibly, Clyde. "Aside from all of them, nobody else knows" Lincoln stated, "but something tells me that will change soon."

(Line Break)

Meanwhile, over at the mud bath room; Carol was bringing Dana up to speed on the events that brought them all here. By the end of the tale, the poor girl felt as though her heart would give out. "This is insane" she gasped, "I mean, I knew Lori had the tendency to be a control freak...but this is just wrong!"

It wasn't just Dana who listened in on the story either. Because of her shock, she failed to keep her voice down; thus allowing the other patrons and workers to hear every word. Even though they didn't understand the _whole_ story; from what they _did_ hear, they were greatly appalled.

"The worst story yet was when Lincoln said he was forced to sleep in the doghouse" groaned Carol bitterly, "all over something as stupid as bad luck!" The last few words made Dana feel so flustered, you would swear her rising anger would cause the mud to boil.

(Line Break)

Elsewhere, at the nail salon area; the preteen girls were also chatting with each other.

Not about Lincoln's past experiences but just about how much fun they had all been having. "I swear to you, guys; even with his eyes shut, he managed to nail the target" Jordan exclaimed excitedly, "and he picked out the most adorable polar bear plushie for winning at the booth!" This caused Stella, Paige and even Cristina to gush adorably at her.

"That's so sweet that he won the prize for you" sighed Cristina, "maybe...maybe I was wrong to judge him, before switching classes." The rest of the conversation was spent in lamenting how much each of them equally misjudged Lincoln for any past events that happened. Though their break had only just started; in the time some of them spent with him, the ladies saw a new side to Lincoln.

He was vulnerable, mildly insecure, unsure of himself, afraid of making even the smallest error and he carried a great weight upon his shoulders; being the on-again/off-again mediator for his family's drama. But at the same time; they also got to see his sensitive side, his loyalty, his kindness, his "adorkable" nerdy nature and his genuine desire to see others happy. With all this in mind, they wondered why Lincoln never showed this side to his family more often.

"Lincoln's a great guy...a bit of an over-thinker and a klutz, on occasion, sure...but still" murmured Jordan, "if his sisters can't see that in him, something is _seriously_ wrong!" The girls all let out a unanimous shout of agreement, almost disrupting the workers. Back with the boys; they left the steam room, feeling very refreshed and decided to take a trip to the massage parlor for a rub down.

What Lincoln would find there is a surprise he never would've expected. As he changed into his trunks and positioned himself on the table, he spotted a pair of beautifully slender legs appear before him. Then, he heard the person speak in a soft and sweet Spanish accent...one that Lincoln immediately recognized.

As he turned his head upwards slightly, his eyes almost popped from his skull. For standing before him was Miss DiMartino, his former substitute teacher from way back. Soon, he began to blush so brightly; it almost looked like he had sunburn.

"I haven't seen you in ages, dear" she said with glee, "how have you been?" Alas, Lincoln couldn't find anything to say to her; all that came out his mouth was "buh...buh...buh." She didn't seem to care, though; she actually found it rather adorable.

"I hear this is your first time at the spa" she stated, "which makes _this_ your first ever massage." Lincoln said nothing, only offering a shy nod in response. Then, she proceeded to lean in close and whisper into his ear "don't worry, I will be gentle."

Lincoln thanked the heavens he was on his stomach; otherwise, Miss DiMartino would've seen something she shouldn't. But then, she suddenly asked him to disrobe himself. This caused Lincoln to go stiff with shock, mainly because there was something _else_ he didn't feel comfortable with her seeing.

"Uh...are you sure you can't massage me with the robe _on_" he asked nervously, "I mean...I wouldn't mind, if you could." Despite the nervousness in his tone; Miss DiMartino, once again, saw it as nothing more than him being shy. "Do not worry, Lincoln" she assured, "you will have your shorts on and there is no one else other than the four of us to see anything."

For a moment or so, Lincoln remained still; save for his eyes darting side to side nervously. Then, with a soft sigh, he took hold of the waistband and slowly untied it; as if he were moving in slow motion. The moment he took it off, both Miss DiMartino and Chaz's masseuse gasped in alarm.

On his belly, everyone could see a large splotch of sunburn; which seemed to spread around to his upper and lower back as well. When asked how he got the sunburn, Chaz told Miss DiMartino and her assistant the story Lincoln shared just moments ago. When he mentioned the part where Lincoln stood in the beach sun for hours in the mascot costume, the ladies were beyond mortified.

"I'm afraid you will need more than just a traditional massage, sweetie" Miss D stated, "this calls for stronger measures." After Lincoln was asked to lie on his belly, once again; Miss DiMartino collected a small green bottle from a drawer and proceeded to smother some of its contents on her hands. Just as Lincoln prepared to question her actions, Miss DiMartino began to lightly rub his back.

At the first touch, the odd green substance stung his sunburn a bit. But twenty seconds later, his skin began to feel cooler and the way her hands caressed his back felt incredibly soothing. "Oh, yeeeeeeeeeah" Lincoln droned with delight, "this is so nice, thank you."

Miss DiMartino smiled down at him and happily accepted his gratitude. "Let me know if I'm hurting you, sweetie" she insisted, "I want to help you relax as much as possible." Lincoln, too relaxed and content to make a verbal reply, simply smiled and gave her the peace sign.

"Mind if I ask how you became a masseuse, " he asked with a yawn, "I always thought you just worked as a sub." The woman smiled down at her patron and gently pressed the palm of her hand against his left shoulder blade. "As a substitute teacher, I'm only called in whenever the school is short-handed" Miss DiMartino explained, "as such, I took up some classes in my free-time to broaden my skill set."

She soon began to list off all the things she learned at the community center, since her last substituting job. These included massage therapy, yoga, language studies, creative writing, art, theater and even learning to play jazz. Lincoln couldn't help but sigh softly, not just because of how amazing he thought Miss D was...but due to how much he _wished_ he could be as equally skilled.

Then, much to his surprise; Lincoln found himself becoming even more relaxed. He cast a tired over-the-shoulder glance and caught rubbing his legs and feet. "Whatever they taught you, Miss D; you must've been a star student" he said without hesitation, "I haven't felt this good in a long time."

Miss DiMartino felt truly touched by his compliment; so much so, she decided to be playful and kissed him lightly on the cheek in gratitude. Before that, Lincoln's mind had been bordering on sleep mode; due to the massage. But with the added bonus of the kiss, it came close to shutting down completely.

By the end of the session, Lincoln not only felt totally relaxed. But thanks to the green substance Miss D used (which was revealed to be aloe vera,) Lincoln's sunburn had completely cleared up. He stepped out of the parlor with a deep sigh, feeling fresh as a bee and fully invigorated.

"That was so great" he gasped with delight, "I haven't felt _this_ good in a long time." Chaz laughed heartily at his young friend, apparently pleased that he was enjoying himself. "There's more goodness to come, my friend" he stated, "the question is...are you ready for it?"

Lincoln gave the teenager a confident smile and replied with but three simple words, "let's do this." On their next stop, Chaz and Lincoln decided to join the older gals in the mud bath. Upon their arrival, the aforementioned ladies greeted Lincoln with joy; apparently pleased that he decided to join him.

"Look at you, pal; you're just glowing with positive vibes" gushed Carol, "I'm guessing you're enjoying yourself, so far?" Lincoln gave the ladies an enthusiastic "rock on" hand sign and stepped into the bath. Unfortunately, he didn't expect his tub to be so deep and his head almost dipped below the surface; as a result.

When they saw all the mud covering his face and hair, the girls couldn't help but giggle a little. At first, Lincoln felt like he was being mocked. But when he saw what he looked like in the mirror; he, too burst out in a fit of giggles.

After a good twenty minute mud soak, the girls headed off to the hot tubs to wash themselves off. "Why don't you come and join us, Linc" suggested Becky while she dried herself off, "a good bath always relaxes the body." At first, Lincoln considered the idea...until he realized one fundamental flaw in it; he was one of the only two boys with the group.

Upon bringing this up to the girls, Chaz appeared and patted his back lightly in reassurance. "Don't you worry, little man" he stated, "take a gander at that poster over by the directory." Lincoln did as he was told and read the poster carefully, which showed the words "this week is mixed bathing week" in bold red lettering.

With this revelation, Lincoln suddenly felt incredibly awkward. _"Mixed...bathing, they actually do that here"_ he thought mentally, _"me...in a hot tub...with all these girls around me? I don't know whether to feel afraid...or excited, right now."_ Moments later; all the gals, young and old, rested themselves comfortably inside of two large whirlpool baths.

Chaz, meanwhile chose to relax in his own solo tub. Only one person was missing from the picture, someone who was currently hiding out in the changing room in shyness. "C'mon, Lincoln; the water's great" cried Jordan with delight, "hurry before the whirlpool stops." As Lincoln poked his head out slightly from the doorway, all the ladies began urging him to come out.

After gulping down a nervous lump in his throat; Lincoln, dressed in his orange trunks, shuffled his way nervously towards the hot tub. Upon arriving, he carefully eased his toes into the water; so as not to burn himself. On the first three toe dips, he recoiled with alarm from the heated water.

But after dipping in his foot the fourth time, it all felt rather nice. Soon, Lincoln eased his entire body into the hot tub; sighed loudly with contentment. Soon after, Becky turned the whirlpool function back on and the water began to bubble.

This caused Lincoln to suddenly gasp at the feel of it, not out of fear or pain but in mild surprise. Soon, the jets all started to make Lincoln's mind feel drowsy and he slowly eased his head back against the wall; as if he were drifting off to sleep. While in this state, he was completely oblivious to the other ladies around him; who were all giggling softly at how adorable Lincoln looked.

In that moment, Carol instructed Becky and Dana to follow her. Meanwhile, Lincoln's mind was so far up on Cloud 9; he felt as though he could touch the stars. For the first time in like...ever, he felt relaxed.

He wasn't worrying about breaking up any quarreling, afraid that someone was meddling on his every move and even more so, he was with people who understood him as well as respected him. He knew that eventually, he _would_ have to return home and be around his rowdy sisters again. But that was a long way away from his present situation.

For now, he was going to savor every moment of fun on break. As Lincoln curled his arms around the "cloud" he rested on, a sudden yet sweet giggle filled his ears. With a soft yawn; he opened his eyes to see Carol, Becky and Dana standing over him.

Naturally, he was surprised by their supposed "unexpected" presence. But what caught him off-guard even more was what he saw next. As he slowly turned his head to the side, Lincoln saw that both his arms were wrapped tightly around Carol and Dana's waists.

With a great yelp, he shot back slightly; causing the hot tub water to make waves. Unfortunately, his sudden movements sent him into the arms of Whitney; who lightly wrapped _hers_ around his shoulders. This turn of events caused Lincoln to shiver tremendously with worry, thinking they might hurt him for "invading their personal spaces."

But then; everyone, even Chaz, suddenly burst out in a fit of joyful laughter. Lincoln looked at them all with the most dumbfounded look imaginable and questioned why they were laughing at him. "It's all good, Lincoln" Carol said between gasps, "we're all laughing _with_ you, not _at _you."

Dana nodded in agreement and added that he looked simply adorable, curling up to her and Carol the way he did. This brought Lincoln to blush shyly and turn away from them. "Sorry about that, girls...really" he murmured, "I hope I didn't offend either of you."

The moment these words were said, both Carol and Dana suddenly gushed at him adorably. "Linky, I swear; you are just about the sweetest lil' man we've ever met" Dana said with a squeal, "are you sure you're still single?" Upon hearing this inquiry, Lincoln suddenly turned a deep shade of red.

Jordan decided to playfully add more fuel to the fire, when she saw the look on his face. "Well...there _have_ been rumors about him and Ronnie Anne Santiago being a thing" she stated coyly, "before she moved away, of course." This revelation caused the ladies, young and old, to squeal loudly with joy.

Meanwhile, Lincoln was starting to feel rather uneasy; despite the fact that the jets of the hot tub were still going. In his mind, he feared the girls would start flipping out about him and Ronnie Anne, just like his sisters always did. That was when Chaz intervened and "saved" him from a mental breakdown.

"Well, Chaz's is sorry to say that Miss Santiago may have to wait her turn" he chuckled, "because I saw him going gaga over his masseuse, just a few moments ago." Carol gasped with surprise at this piece of news and urged the boys to tell her more. "It was no big deal, girls...really" he mumbled, "Miss DiMartino was once my substitute and...well, have you _seen_ her; she's like a _goddess_!"

Alas, this didn't seem to help make Lincoln's situation any better. If anything, it made the ladies think he was even more precious. "The Lil' Man even got himself a kiss from Miss D before his massage was over" Chaz added with a chuckle, "makes Chaz a little jealous, to be honest."

With this revelation; Lincoln, after letting out a deep sigh, confessed that everything he said was true. "I just can't help it" he muttered, "it...it always happens whenever I see someone pretty or cute." The girls all smiled sweetly and applauded him for his honesty.

"That's not it, though" he said suddenly, "what Chaz just said about what happened to me around Miss DiMartino...it's the same reason why I felt nervous in joining you guys here." The moment he said this, the ladies all stared at him confusedly; wondering exactly _what_ made him so nervous. But then, they thought back to his earlier statement and smiled deviously.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying, little man" questioned Phoebe with a chuckle, "because it sounds like you're saying you think we're _all_ pretty?" This brought all the ladies to look at him with equal suspicion. Finally, Lincoln relented and confessed that Phoebe spoke the truth.

"It's true, all you gals are amazing" he blurted out, "not only have you all been so nice to me...but you're all just so beautiful, inside and out." This statement truly touched the ladies, young and old. They never expected him to be so open about his feelings like this.

Then, much to Lincoln's surprise; Jordan swam over to his side and pecked her lips against his cheek. This gesture was so unexpected, it made Lincoln's already soaked hair almost stand on end. "What...what was that for" he gasped in surprise, "I mean...not that I'm complaining or anything."

Jordan simply giggled sweetly at him and said it was a sort of thank you gesture, for just being a sweet guy. Afterwards, Lincoln could see all the other ladies smiling at him; which made him a little worried. As he prepared to leave the tub, Cici and Phoebe quickly dragged him back by his shoulders and held him in place.

With him momentarily stationary, the girls decided to make their move. With the soft muttering of "come here, cutie;" each one of them smothered Lincoln with a combination of nuzzles, tight hugs and/or kisses. By the end of it all; Lincoln was in such a blissful daze, he almost sank beneath the tub water.

But Carol thought quickly and gently lifted him up under both arms. After that, she and Dana sat Lincoln between him and cuddled him like he was a child's doll. "Look at us, girls; aren't we just darling" Cristina giggled, "I think we should record this for posterity...if it's okay with our man of honor."

All eyes looked down at Lincoln, whose face bore a goofy squiggly line of a grin...and a few dozen splotches of lip gloss plastered on his face. When asked again if they could take a picture together, Lincoln's only response was the muttering of "buh...buh...buh" and a shaky thumbs up. "OMG, Lincoln; you're just so cute" gushed Dana, "hold up, I'm gonna go get my phone outta my backpack in the changing room."

The ladies all urged her to hurry along, before returning to coddling their young male friend. Moments later; upon her return, Dana and several of the girls held up their phones ahead of them. Their free arms, meanwhile were either wrapped around each other's or Lincoln's shoulders.

"Okay, girls" Carol stated, "everybody look at the camera and on three, say 'GAL PALS!" The ladies all nodded in agreement and readied themselves for their selfies. Meanwhile, Lincoln was slightly squeezed in-between Carol and Dana...but was too far gone with delight to even care.

After Carol counted down from three, there was a loud outcry of "GAL PALS" and everyone's phones suddenly flashed; freezing the moment forever (or however long phone batteries lasted until they saved the pics at home.) Afterwards, several of the girls posted the image on their social media pages; thinking it was just a perfect moment to share.

(Line Break)

When Lincoln's mind (eventually) recovered from his earlier kiss barrage, he was no longer in the hot tub. Instead, he was seated inside of a salon chair; having his hair scrubbed, his nails touched up and a mud mask be applied to his face. He turned slightly to the side to find Whitney, Carol, Dana, Phoebe and Cici in similar chairs.

When she saw him wake up, Dana gave him a friendly "hello" hand wave. "Welcome back to the world, cutie" she greeted gleefully, "hope you're enjoying your Mani-Pedi." While still confused as to _how_ he got there, Lincoln eased comfortably into his chair and smiled at her.

All around him, everybody was in the midst of receiving hair/nail/facial treatment. Whitney sat comfortably, while her stylist struggled to comb her thick locks. Carol was having her nails painted, Dana was soaking her feet inside of a foot bath machine and both Cici and Phoebe were having facial masks applied.

As Lincoln's treatment continued, several of the employees around him proceeded to chat idly with him; occasionally complimenting his looks. "Tell us your secret, sweetie" inquired a woman who was massaging Lincoln's scalp, "how did you get such a unique head of white hair?" Several of the other workers asked the same thing, eager to learn Lincoln's "secret."

"Oh, it's no secret" Lincoln said humbly, "this hair of mine is _au naturel_...as they say." Upon hearing this, a woman with an electric hairdryer gasped emphatically and shook her head in disbelief. "Hush up with your lies, sweetie; you sayin' these beautiful locks are natural?" she asked in disbelief, "I tell ya, some homegirls I know would give up their life savings for hair this good!" For the next few minutes, Lincoln was chatting pleasantly with both the girls _and _the salon staff.

In the back of his mind, he couldn't help but chuckle at the irony of the situation. In the past, he'd often had difficulty chatting casually with new people. But with every hair scrub, foot dip and blowout; almost all his anxieties seemed to disappear.

"This is so nice" he sighed softly, "it's no wonder why my older sisters like this so much...it's like all my troubles are being scrubbed away." At that moment, an effeminate hairstylist named Randy approached Lincoln and began to brush at his hair. "If you don't mind my asking, my little friend...what might your name be" he asked suddenly, "somethin' about you seems familiar."

Though mildly taken aback by this inquiry, Lincoln felt there was no harm in answering. "My name is Lincoln Loud, Sir" he said while lightly blowing at his newly manicured nails, "why do you ask?" Upon hearing this name, Randy suddenly asked if he was any relation to Lola Loud.

With this question; all the previous stress that had either been scrubbed, rubbed, washed or cleaned away from him almost came back in full force. With a light nod of his head, Randy looked Lincoln up and down and clicked his tongue softly. "Nope...I'm sorry, I just don't see it" he murmured, "there is _no way, no how_ that _you_ are a relation to..._LOLA!_"

Upon hearing the tone in his voice change, Lincoln asked how Randy knew his little sister. It was then that the stylist revealed that long ago, he was asked to help prep her up for the _Lil' Miss Prairie Queen Pageant_. "No offense to you, young man...but that little monster was just _awful_ to me" Randy growled, "I bent over backwards _and_ forwards to please that girl in any way possible...but nothing I did worked!"

Worried about how fast things were escalating, the other ladies asked Randy what happened. But Lincoln quickly intervened, sensing that the poor man's nerves were just about shot. "Long story short, ladies; my sister was a real devil diva, during that pageant" he groaned, "the host said she spent so much time in her dressing room, wanting to look 'perfect' that she was later disqualified."

While this bit of news was indeed troubling, Carol asked to learn more about what happened. "Randy here showed her all kinds of fancy dresses, did her hair up in all kinds of styles and even came close to getting hand cramps from filing her nails too much" Lincoln explained, "but no matter what, Lola was _still_ unsatisfied with his work!" By the end of the story, both gentlemen revealed that not only was Lola disqualified for taking too long to prepare; she almost physically abused Randy in a fit of rage.

As proof their story was true, Randy drew back his right sleeve to reveal a bite mark on the back on his left wrist. "How do you think Lola ended up with a gap in her smile" questioned Lincoln, "she lost the tooth after she bit Randy in the arm with it." This story left everyone bitterly whispering to one another, while Lincoln gazed up at Randy in shame.

"Sir...I speak on behalf of my sister when I say...I'm sorry for what happened" he muttered, "just please, don't send me and my friends away; at least...not until after we're done." All was silent, after Lincoln's statement was made; the only sounds heard were those of the salon equipment. Finally; Randy smiled down at Lincoln, took his hand in his own and patted it lightly.

"It's as I said before, lil' man; you are nothing like your sister" he said warmly, "unlike what you just did, neither she nor even your mama apologized for what happened that day." Lincoln sighed dejectedly and muttered how much he expected that kind of behavior from Lola. "Thing is; at that time, my mother _would_ have apologized" he admitted, "but Lola was stuck in her 'Terrible Twos' phase; despite, at the time, being four and...she didn't want to face her wrath again by scolding her."

Once the story was over, everyone suddenly shuddered; feeling pity for Lincoln's parents having to endure such circumstances. "Tell me something, Linc" chimed Dana, "do _all_ your sisters act like your little one?" Lincoln suddenly found himself chuckling ironically at this, which almost made the young lady think he was being rude.

"So sorry about that, Dana" he said quickly, "it's just...my house is known for being the most chaotic place in town for one reason; my sisters' different/varied personalities." He then went on to explain how not one day was exactly the same, back home. "If Lola isn't acting like a diva; then, it's something else" he mumbled, "be it Lucy making her grave sites in the yard, Luan thinking up ideas for the next slew of pranks for April Fools (or as I call it, Prank-pocalypse,) Luna blowing out the town's power from overloading the house circuitry with her amps or...Lisa wanting to use one of us (mostly me) as a guinea pig for another invention of hers."

Randy and his associates gasped in alarm, proclaiming that such things all sounded too bizarre to be real. But Carol quickly put their skepticism to rest, revealing to everyone that she and her friends have seen the physical scars for themselves. Randy frowned slightly while giving Lincoln's hair one final brushing.

After that; his assistant gave him a quick blow dry and then, their work was done. "Come and have a look at the new you, lil man" urged Randy, "I think you might like it!" Without pause, Lincoln leapt out of his chair and approached one of the wall mirrors to see his reflection.

The moment he did, Lincoln's jaw almost hit the floor. His hair had been slicked back into a sort of pompadour style, his skin appeared youthful and clean, his feet felt both nourished and smooth and the nails on his fingers and toes were so clean and smoothed out; he could see his face reflecting on them. He couldn't believe his eyes; even though it was _his_ reflection, it was like he saw a different person in front of him.

"Wow, this is...this is amazing" he gasped in awe, "you guys are all miracle workers, thanks a bunch for everything." Randy chuckled warmly at his kind words and thanked him with a friendly hug. Afterwards, he slipped him his business card; urging him to call, if he needed another touch up

Having been fully refreshed and reinvigorated, Lincoln was ready to face the world again. Once the salon treatment was over, the gang made their way to the front desk; as Carol and her crew prepared to pay the bill. That was when Lincoln offered some of _his _money to help even out the total.

"You're sweet to offer, Linc but we got this" Kat assured, "you're our guest and as such, you shouldn't have to help pay all the time." Lincoln thanked her for her kind words but further insisted on lending some of his money. "It's no trouble at all, really" he stated, "consider it repayment for all the kindness you guys have showed me thus far."

That was when Fernando quickly interjected, proclaiming that neither side had to pay. "This is on the house, we insist" he offered, "it's the least we can do for this young man...all that we ask is that he comes again soon." Upon saying this, Dana gasped loudly with joy and said she had a brilliant idea.

"Why not make this a tradition, guys and gals" she suggested, "once a month, unless something else comes up, we'll get together here and have a nice spa day...what do you think." Almost instantly; all the girls, young and old, cheered in unanimous agreement. Afterwards, Chaz seconded the idea; proclaiming that he enjoyed soaking in the hot tub.

Only Lincoln's voice remained unheard, the boy in question was mentally considering the idea. "Hmm...what the heck, beats being stuck at home while Lori baby-sits (or as I call it, goes 1984 on us)" he said with a chuckle, "sign me up too!" With everyone in agreement, the girls all proceeded to envelop Lincoln in a big group hug; while naming him their "spa buddy."

After that, everyone happily left the spa and headed off towards the bus stop. However, upon leaving; the air within the spa lobby quickly went from joyful to tense. At which time, someone approached the front desk and was about to pay for _his_ stay. "Excuse me, Fernando" questioned the man, "did that boy say his name was...Loud?"

The spa owner answered his question without hesitation, before talking about how well Lincoln behaved so splendidly towards his female companions and the staff members. "Yes...very nice" muttered the patron, "it's just...he was in the steam room with me and a few others, earlier on and...after hearing it, his name reminded me of someone from my school." At that moment; another patron, a woman dressed in a yellow tracksuit with brunette hair, quickly appeared behind the man.

"That must've been Lynn Junior's little brother, Principal Ramirez" the woman stated, "saw him at the nail salon area earlier...what about him?" For the moment, the man (revealed to be Principal Ramirez from the local middle school) pinched his temples slightly and sighed. "Best sit for a spell, Coach" he muttered sullenly, "because I've got some stories to tell you."

(First AN: Despite this being the Spa Day chapter, I wanted to give Lincoln some time with Stella; to give him and the reader a sort of glimpse at _her_ home life. Upon doing research on her, I discovered that she was of Filipino descent and had a grandmother. With this in mind, I wanted to have said grandmother speak mostly the Filipino...or Tagalog language; as well as some broken English.

My apologies if my depiction of her felt off to you, everyone. Because both she and Stella's parents weren't shown in the series...yet, I had to make up things as I went along.)

(Second AN: The idea of Miss DiMartino, the sexy substitute teacher Lincoln had in Study Muffin, being Lincoln's masseuse at the spa was inspired by something I read in another Loud House fic; Special Sibling Bond by Metalbrony823. When I read that, I _immediately_ thought that her presence would be perfect for this fic. Not to mention that having her be another ally in Lincoln's corner would be a good thing, considering their close teacher/student relationship.)

(Third AN: Despite certain scenes in this chapter, do not be confused in thinking this is a harem fic. All the girls were doing was showing him some friendly/playful TLC, after all the positive traits he had been showing. If there _is_ to be a ship in this story; it will either be LincolnxJordan or LincolnxRonnie Anne, who _will _be appearing very soon...but I shan't say when ;) )

(Final AN: The woman in the yellow tracksuit is Lynn's middle school coach, Coach Keck and the other steam room occupants...may or may not also be staff members or people Lincoln's sisters know. But rest assured; soon, all of them will have a part to play.)


	8. Chapter Eight: The Ace Savvy Convention

The Ace Savvy Convention

The next morning, Lincoln swiftly suited up in his Ace Savvy costume; anxious to head out for the convention. After putting on the final item, his mask; he did a quick touch up on his new hairdo from yesterday and left the room. But we are getting ahead of ourselves, I'm afraid.

Let us take a moment to turn back the clock, shall we?

(Hours Earlier)

Once everyone else had parted ways, after their spectacular spa day; Carol invited Lincoln to come stay at her home overnight.

Despite his humble attempts to refuse, Carol insisted that he'd accept; adding that her parents were anxious to meet her "mysterious friend." With a soft smile, Lincoln relented and accepted the offer; on the condition that he'd collect his things from Jordan's home first.

Before leaving, Carol handed him a piece of notepad paper with her address on it; so that he or someone else knew where to go. Upon being given this, Lincoln did something she never expected; he threw himself into her arms and hugged her tight. Carol was silent for a moment or two, then returned the hug with a soft smile upon her face.

The other ladies took notice of this and quickly joined in.

"Best put that in a safe spot, Linc" said Carol while pointing at the paper, "and I recommend _not_ using that 'socket' of yours." After everyone, including Lincoln, had a good laugh at that statement; they parted ways for the night and headed back to their homes.

(Line Break)

A half hour later, after collecting his bags from Jordan's home; Lincoln found his way to a house east of the Tranquil Springs Spa. Upon seeing said house; Lincoln glanced at the mailbox and then, the piece of paper to see that the address matched. He was rather astonished by how big it was.

While the place wasn't quite as big as Jordan's, it still appeared quite fancy. As Lincoln began to approach the front door, a loud barking suddenly rang out from inside; causing him to jump in alarm. "Boy, this is the second time I've been surprised by a dog's barking now" he murmured while addressing the viewer, "I think I remember Leni saying Carol has a corgi in the house."

Much to his surprise, Lincoln was correct in his assumption. For once he peeked into the one window; he spotted a small corgi with white fur in what looked like the living room, barking ferociously. Then, he spotted Carol racing into the room; where she desperately tries to calm the dog down.

Alas, the poor girl's efforts were fruitless and the corgi quickly became even angrier. The moment he saw it squatting down and bearing its teeth, Lincoln knew what was to come next and immediately took action. Not even bothering to knock, he burst through the door and hurried into the living room.

There, he saw Carol waving a rolled up newspaper at the corgi in a disciplinary fashion but the beastie wasn't having it. With a vicious snarl, he leapt up and snatched the paper out of Carol's hands; causing her to fall back on her rear in heap. With the paper now in his jaws, the corgi proceeded to viciously tear it to pieces.

After that, Carol was now left defenseless; as her pet prepared to pounce on her. But at the near last moment, Lincoln quickly stood in the way; blocking the corgi's path and surprising it. It then proceeded to sniff at him softly, which made Carol very worried.

As vicious as her own pet was to _her_, Carol had seen it act even worse towards strangers. With this thought in mind, she begged for Lincoln to stand down. Despite her pleas, Lincoln smiled over his shoulder at her and assured Carol that he would be fine.

"As a dog owner myself, I know how to calm them down" he said simply, "have a look see for yourself." After it stopped sniffing him, the corgi sensed that Lincoln was a stranger and immediately prepared to lash out at him; like any dog would. But as it prepared to rush forward, Lincoln held up his arms defensively; while speaking calm words to the corgi.

"Whoa! Easy there, little fella" he whispered calmly, "don't get excited...don't get excited." Four times did the corgi try to get past the strange boy and four times he was blocked. On the fifth attempt; Lincoln approached the corgi calmly and smiled, while speaking to it.

"Easy, boy; easy...eeeeeasy" he whispered soothingly, while waving his arms; "I'm your friend...see, I'm not gonna hurt ya." In a split second, the corgi's expression shifted from fierce to indifferent. Upon seeing this, Lincoln felt as though he may had got through to the lil' critter and smiled.

"That's it...now, do me a favor and sit" he ordered softly but the corgi remained defiant. Once again, Lincoln asked the corgi to sit but added a mildly firmer tone to his voice. Much to Carol's surprise, the corgi obeyed the command (albeit reluctantly) and plopped itself onto the floor into a seated position.

"Good...now, spit out the paper bits" Lincoln ordered softly, only to be given a soft grunt in defiance from the corgi. "C'mon, now; be good and drop it" he added in a mixed firm yet pleading tone, while pointing at the floor. Then, much to Carol's surprise; the corgi followed the command and spit the last pieces of newspaper out of its mouth.

Afterwards, Lincoln proceeded to affectionately rub the dog's face and talk sweetly to it. "You're a naughty boy for tryin' attack your mama" Lincoln said in a firm yet adorable voice, which seemed to cause the corgi's ears to droop. This sight filled Carol with such shock, her eyes almost popped out from her head.

But the surprises didn't stop there; after giving him a light scolding, Lincoln proceeded to rub the corgi's belly and sweet talk it. "See, you're not such a bad boy" he cooed softly, "you just needed a fwend, didn't you...didn't you?" In response to this, the corgi yipped softly with joy and thanked Lincoln for the belly rub with a soft tongue kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, Carol...got any dog treats or bones around" he chuckled between dog kisses, "figured we should give this lil' fella something else to chew on." Carol gave nervous nod and hurried into the kitchen. Upon returning, five seconds later; she had a small pig's ear in her hand.

Without hesitation, Lincoln took the ear in hand and showed it to the corgi. "Does puppy wanna nibble; oh, does he" Lincoln murmured adorably, "if you pwomise not to nibble Mama, Uncle Wincoln will give you yummy pig's ear." The corgi barked softly in response, which gave Lincoln all the answer he needed.

After a quick handshake (or paw-shake, as the case may be,) Lincoln handed the corgi the pig's ear and it began to nibble on its prize with delight. With that done, Lincoln helped Carol off the floor and led her into the kitchen; allowing the pet some alone time. "That should keep him relaxed for a while" Lincoln sighed with relief, "you're safe now, Carol."

Suddenly, before he could react; Lincoln found himself lifted high off the ground and squeezed in an affectionate near-bone crushing hug. "My hero, you saved me from being mauled to death" Carol said warmly, "you're the B-E-S-T, BEST; Linky!" The next thing Lincoln knew, his cheeks found themselves being relentlessly smothered with frantic kisses or nuzzles.

Despite him thinking Carol was blowing the situation out of proportion. He still couldn't help but find some pleasure in her affection. After all, his mind was still in a bit of a daze from the "cuddlefest" he experienced at the spa.

This tender moment ended as swiftly as it came, however; as the sound of approaching footsteps caused Carol to almost drop Lincoln. As the pair quickly collected themselves, two rather fancy looking adults entered the room. The woman had long, flowing blonde hair, a bell-shaped figure (petite at the top but voluptuous at the hips and legs,) fire-red lipstick upon her thick lips and was dressed in a green mini-dress.

The man beside her was a fellow in his early 40's. He had chiseled facial features, despite having a few minor wrinkles. His blonde hair was cut short at the neck, he was dressed in a matching polo shirt and shorts, a green scarf tied around his shoulders and wore a pair of brown Derby shoes.

"What in heaven's name is happening in here" questioned the man, "I thought you promised to keep your pet in line, Carol!" The girl in question couldn't help but lower her head shamefully. Since adopting the dog, she tried many times over to bond with it or tame it.

But each attempt ended with the same result, with _it_ being the one "in control" or lashing out at her. But just as she was about to sink further into her shame; Lincoln, once again, stepped in to her defense. "I would like to apologize; Sir, Ma'am" he murmured while greeting both parents with a bow.

The pair looked at the boy confusedly and asked Lincoln to explain himself. "The lil' guy must've seen me coming to the door and got worked up" he replied, "Carol tried to calm him down, I saw it for myself...but my older sister once said the pup didn't seem to like her very much." After saying this, the corgi gave out a soft whimper; as if to say sorry for how it behaved.

Sensing its sadness, Lincoln reached over and gave him a light petting on the head. Carol and her parents gasped in awe, as their pet not only welcomed the gesture fondly. But it also gave Lincoln's fingers a light yet affectionate lick, as a sign of friendship.

With the situation now calm, Carol cleared her throat and introduced Lincoln to her parents. "Wait..._this_ is the Lincoln you've told us about" questioned Carol's mother, "the sweet, caring, sensitive gentleman you've told us about...is this young boy?" Feeling a bit surprised, Lincoln cast a glance over his lady friend's way; wondering just what she said about him.

"That he is, Mumsy" Carol said sweetly while nuzzling Lincoln, "hope you don't mind him bunking with us for the night." Upon hearing this suggestion, her father questioned why Lincoln couldn't rest at his home. There was an uncomfortable silence, after this; due to both Lincoln and Carol feeling hesitant in divulging what has been happening to anyone else.

But when they saw the stern looks upon the couple's faces; it was clear that there was no beating around the bush about it. After clearing her throat softly, Carol approached her parents and began to whisper to the two of them; leaving Lincoln to tend to their pet. By the end of the discussion, the couple appeared utterly disgusted.

"Carol...darling; please, tell us this is a sort of...prank you and your friends indulge in" murmured Mrs. Pingrey, her husband muttering the same thing. "I wish she _was_ kidding you, Ma'am...really, I do" sighed Lincoln, "but it's all true, I can't go back to my own home...not until all the nonsense there has been settled." To prove that their words rung true, Carol told her folks of all the others who came to learn about Lincoln's ordeal.

"Call the spa, the other girls' parents or even Lincoln's teachers at the elementary school" Carol said exasperatedly, "each of them will tell you what they've been told...and shown." Despite still having their doubts about the whole thing, the elder Pingreys could see Lincoln was in need of help. "If you require a place to stay, I suppose we can invite you in for the evening" Mr. Pingrey muttered, "just answer us one thing...what the devil was all that noise about earlier?"

With a nervous chuckle; Lincoln said that their pet might've got a tad defensive, when he saw him approaching the door. "When I saw that he was about to attack Carol, I had to help her" he said firmly, "I mean...I know she may be able to protect herself...but still." After this, Carol quickly assured her parents that he was telling the truth.

"Lincoln not only helped defend me...but he got Alistair to calm down as well" Carol stated, "it was the bravest thing I've ever seen." This bit of praise caused Lincoln to blush slightly, while he murmured how his actions were "no big whoop." But the corgi (whose name was Alistair) quickly intervened by giving him a wet lick on the cheek.

"But...I don't understand it" muttered Mr. Pingrey, "how is it that our daughter couldn't tame him...but _you_ could?" It was in that moment that Mrs. Pingrey revealed (through scolding her) that Carol only adopted the pup for some silly social media attention. Upon being reminded of this, Carol slowly hung her head in shame.

_"Mom is right, you dumb tramp" _she thought bitterly, _"if you weren't so desperate for being 'popular' online, things would be different."_ As her mind began to sink deeper into shame, Carol suddenly felt her right hand being squeezed. She opened her eyes and turned to find Lincoln, holding her by the hand comfortingly.

"I...have a dog of my own; back home, Ma'am" the boy replied, "through all the years I've lived with him, I've learned how to earn his trust and keep him in control." After that, Lincoln gave Carol some small tips in raising Alistair; including "remain calm and confident," "never raise your voice unless it's necessary," "reward good behavior with affection" and "_never...EVER_ force clothes on them." He put a particular emphasis on the clothes example, adding that Lori learned her lesson about it...the hard way.

"I'll make sure to remember all that" Carol said with a nod, "thanks for the tips...and everything else." With a bright, buck-toothed grin, Lincoln gave her a high five and said he was happy to help.

(Line Break)

As we come back to the present, Lincoln makes some final adjustments to his costume. After a whole year of waiting, the time had come for one of his favorite events; one honoring his Number One hero. As Lincoln began smoothing out his cape; he noticed how some passersby were murmuring to one another, whenever they passed him.

_"Why are all these people looking at me" _pondered Lincoln, _"is there a hole in my costume or something?"_ As he stood there scratching his head, Lincoln failed to notice several young Ace fans approaching him. It wasn't until one of them began tugging at his cape slightly that he finally snapped out of his thoughts.

"'Scuse me, Mistuh Lincoln" asked a little girl dressed like Queen of Diamonds, "could you sign my book?" For a split second, Lincoln stood as still as a stone; wondering why someone would ask for _his_ signature for anything. Then, once he got a look at the cover; his jaw almost fell through the ground in shock.

There; in big, bold comic lettering was the iconic title of "Ace Savvy and the Full House Gang." But what really got his attention was the title beneath it, which simply read "Checkmate." "Whoa! Someone's been reading copies of _my _Checkmate story...AWESOME" cheered Lincoln while addressing the viewer, "I haven't heard word about this series in ages...wonder if anyone else read it?"

As if by some form of coincidence, Lincoln got a look at all the other fans gathered and noticed their costume choices. Many were typically dressed as either Ace, One-Eyed Jack, a member of the Full House Gang or even one of Ace's allies (like Wild Card Willy or Madame Roulette.) But he also saw others dressed as members of the Chess Court, complete with black or white medieval garb.

As Lincoln stood there taking in his surroundings, a soft yet menacing voice reached his ears. _"Have at thee, Ace" _the voice murmured, _"yield to my power or face my wrath!"_ With an alarmed gasp, Lincoln spun around and assumed a defensive stance; poised to fight whoever approached him.

But much to his relief, he discovered that it was but Stella; who was dressed from head to toe in what looked like a black colored 15th Century queen's gown. But the crown upon her head was fashioned to resemble the cap of her Chess piece's namesake. In her hands, Lincoln could see that Stella was holding a toy scepter in one hand and a toy sword in the other.

She took a moment's pause to giggle at giving Lincoln a fright, before curtsying formally before him. "I bid thee good day, mine rival" she said through the use of Olde English, "though we are rivals within the colored pages, I ask that we put our differences aside; so as to enjoy this merry convention." For a moment or two, Lincoln said nothing; due to how utterly astounded he was by how deep in her character Stella became.

Then, at that moment; another voice shouted out from seemingly nowhere. This one however, was older...yet it also spoke in a similar Olde English dialect. _"Nay, Sister; stand away from the young knave" _the voice snapped, _"even here, the one called Ace is still our most hated foe!"_

Upon saying this, a tall figure in white leapt onto the scene. Like her "sister," this figure was also dressed in a queen's gown and bore a similar looking crown. But her garments were all colored as white as fallen snow, from the tips of her shoes to the top of her crown.

But despite the use of old medieval dialect, Lincoln immediately recognized the slender girl's voice. "How good of you to join us today" he said in his best Ace voice, "I bid you greetings...Lady Becky!" With that declaration, the White Queen let out a soft groan and removed her mask, revealing Becky's mildly disgruntled face.

"How'd you know it was me" she grumbled, "I had my face covered and everything!" With a small smile, Lincoln replied that even when speaking "the King's English;" her voice was quite recognizable. "Wow...I knew you were a fan, Becky" he gasped in awe, "but I didn't think you...or anyone else would be fans of my Checkmate story."

Becky chuckled at her little friend and reminisced on how often she read the Checkmate storyline. "I loved the part where the Gang tries to break into Barnum's compound" she said with great fervor, "the Deuce using her dirty diapers as a weapon was clever...yet a little gross." This brought the trio to break into loud laughter; until Lincoln saw something that made him smile even brighter.

Coming up along the sidewalk was Clyde, dressed in his favorite One-Eyed Jack costume and homemade utility belt. "Glad you could make it, buddy" he said while beaming with joy, "we've got loads to catch up on." After the duo exchanged a handshake, Lincoln could hear Becky calling from behind him."

"Move along, boys" she shouted softly, "Joey, Jordan and Chaz are waiting for us inside." With that, everyone saluted each other and hurried through the front doors. Upon entering, the atmosphere was abuzz with activity.

Nerds could be seen exchanging comic knowledge with fellow nerds, kids were seen acting out their favorite battle scenes and vendors were in the midst of selling a variety of items based on Ace Savvy (toys, games, limited edition comics, costumes etc.) Meanwhile, Lincoln and Co. were seen looking at their programs; thinking of what to do first.

"Check this out, guys" Joey exclaimed, "Gin and Rummy are going to be on the Hero Panel, during the Q&A segment!" Everyone squealed with delight at the idea, especially Lincoln; who was amazed that such characters had become so popular. "I have some questions for the White Knight, during the Villain Panel" Jordan said anxiously, "I hear rumors that they might be making a short film about him."

As the group continued to chat about what they plan to do, Lincoln spotted something being advertised at a nearby display table; a large chessboard. But unlike a traditional one, the pieces for _this_ game were unique. He could see game piece versions of Ace, Jack, the Gang, their allies and every member of the Chess Court.

"WHOA! This is awesome" he cheered with delight, "I gotta get me one of these!" But as Lincoln went to grab one, the vendor revealed that he had already sold out on them. "I just gave the last one to a young lady, a few moments ago" he said sullenly, "she just headed off towards the activity center."

With a flustered huff, Lincoln thanked the vendor for the information and went off to find whoever bought the last Chess Set. Upon his arrival, he had yet to find any holding such an item; all he could see were people (young and old) playing about. He wanted nothing more than to join in on the fun.

But Lincoln wanted to find the one who bought the Chess Set first, hoping to negotiate a trade. Then, at that moment; Lincoln spotted someone chatting with her friends over at the Fun House of Cards. Without hesitation, he steadily hurried over towards the girl; calling out to her.

"Excuse me, might you consider making a trade for that Chess Set" he inquired, "I may have something you might want." When the girl turned to face him, Lincoln's breath almost got caught in his throat. Standing before him was a female Ace Savvy fan named Renee, whom he recognized when Clyde attempted to "set him up" with a new lady friend.

Though the two of them only met for a brief period, Lincoln recalled how devoted of an Ace Savvy fan Renee was; going as far as to tear a limited edition book out from his hands. That was _not_ one of his best moments, Lincoln admitted and he hoped that she felt no ill will towards him; after that encounter.

But much to his surprise; when the girl looked at him, she barely batted an eyelash in surprise. "Sorry, mack" she muttered, "I saw this first and I don't plan on giving it away." Taken aback by her statement, Lincoln tried another attempt to persuade her. This time however, he added that he was the one who came up with the Chess Court characters.

"HA! _You_ created the Chess Court, that's rich" Renee laughed mockingly, "it's obvious Bill Buck came up with these characters, not some low-level fanboy!" Lincoln fumed softly, not just from being called a "low-level fanboy" but because of how Renee failed to recognize him. Just then, an idea began to form in his mind; one that no fan of Ace's could turn down.

"How about a wager" he offered, "a small Q&A on the Checkmate story; if I win, you give me the Chessboard...but if _you_ win, you get to keep it and I won't bother you anymore." Renee took a moment to consider the offer and discussed it with her friends. During that time, Lincoln's crew suddenly raced up to him; asking what's going on?

Then, Chaz spotted the Chessboard in Renee's hands and wondered if _it _was the reason for their meeting. "No disrespect meant, Linc" murmured Jordan "but...why would you want a chess set so badly, I never knew you liked the game." Along with confessing that he had some mild interest in Chess, Lincoln asked his friends to look at the pieces.

It was then that they saw how each of them was modeled after characters from his story. "That was the last one on the sales table...but she bought it before me." Sensing that there might've been some possible hostility between the two preteens, Becky suggested that he'd forget about the board.

"Who knows, someone might have another one online" she suggested, "I could check, if you want." At that moment, Renee told the high school girl to stand aside; proclaiming that their game was about to begin. Before Becky could question what the "game" they were talking about was, the two kids took their positions.

"Okay, pal...here's your first question" Renee said with a sly smile, "name the casino featured in Issue One of the Checkmate series where the Full House Gang battled Loan Shark!" Without hesitation, Lincoln immediately answered "the Ace in the Hole." "But I would like to add that the establishment was a combination casino _and_ dance club" he chuckled, "next question, please?"

Every onlooker around them, including Lincoln's friends, listened in closely; as Renee readied her next question. "In Issue Two, what was the song that Sammy played at the Niles Macarthur's night club?" Stella grumbled softly under her breath, muttering what that particular question had to do with Ace or the book.

But Lincoln, bearing a mildly confident grin upon his face, simply cleared his throat and simply answered "Hold My Hand by Hootie and the Blowfish." The next question that came asked for the identity of the main villain of the storyline. "I'm afraid _that_ is a trick question" Lincoln chuckled, "there were actually _two_ villains within the story; the Chess Court (albeit under mind control) and the main mastermind, Lord Tetherby!"

Feeling both shocked and...a little flustered that three questions were answered so quickly, Renee thought long and hard on a way to gain the upper hand. "Question Four...true or false, the mind control devices planted on each member of the Court's heads were the creation of The Flash Card" she shot out suddenly, "try _that_ on for size." Many people were thinking the young man was cornered.

But after taking in a deep inhale, Lincoln answered with the greatest of confidence. "False, the devices were _not_ created by Flash Card" he exclaimed, "they were scrapped behavioral modification devices built by Card Counter...she designed them for the prison." After this, many more people shouted with glee at his progress; while Renee was becoming rather anxious.

"Question Five; True or False, the Full House Gang won the chess game by taking down every piece from the opposing side of the board" she shouted loudly, a nervous sweat dripping down her face. "That's another false situation" Lincoln retorted, "the gang won after they used the rank aroma from one of Deuce's soiled diapers to knock out the kings." Again, Lincoln emerged victorious in the Q which brought everyone to cheer wildly for him.

On her next question, Renee asked for the location of the Court's castle headquarters. "Trick question there, ma'am" Lincoln stated, "the Court's headquarters _wasn't_ truly a castle...but a look-alike of one that was based on the Castle Farms Weddings & Events Venue building in Charlevoix." This response caught Renee so off-guard, she almost stumbled over herself in shock.

With little steam left in her bravado, the girl prepared to give one last question. "This is for all the marbles, pal" she said with determination, "I hope you're ready." Lincoln gave a small smile and beckoned his fellow fanatic to proceed. "Okay, palsie...Who's scepter did the Full House Gang had to destroy, in order to free everyone's minds" she asked, "was it the Black King...or the White King's?"

In that moment, everyone began to wonder if Renee's opponent was sunk. While they _were_ fans of the Checkmate series (as seen from some of their cosplay.) Many of the crowd members hadn't read the book in a long while and thus, couldn't remember the answer.

Lincoln, meanwhile appeared deep in thought; trying his best to remember the event in question. Then, in a sudden mental flash; everything became clear. "It was neither of them, the device was actually hidden in the pommel end of _Tetherby's_ cane" he exclaimed proudly, "while fighting the effects of the mind control, Sammy was able to throw her a spearhead at the pommel and destroy it!"

There was a stone cold silence in the air, after that; which caused everyone to twitch slightly in anticipation. Finally, with a soft sigh; Renee approached her opponent and handed him the Chess Set. "Fair is fair...you won the game; so, to the victor...go the spoils" she murmured, "I'd just like to know how you know so much about the Checkmate story?"

At first, he considered in not revealing his identity to Renee; thinking she may not remember him. But as Ace said in many of his stories, "a hero strives to be honest." With that in mind, he quickly removed his mask and revealed his face to the crowd; earning many shocked gasps from them (including Renee.)

"I should be able to know what each part of the series is like" Lincoln chuckled shyly, "seeing as how...I wrote it." Upon saying this, there was a soft murmur of disbelief from some people the crowd; who all questioned how a boy his age could write an entire comic series. "It's true, everyone" Becky called out, "I can find proof for you on my phone."

A few moments of clicking and thumb typing later, she had found what she was looking for; a picture of Lincoln handing the first issue of Checkmate to Bill Buck (the series creator.) It was as if time froze, after this reveal was made.

Not only was Renee looking at him; so was every fan (young and old,) every vendor, every cosplayer even people dressed in those thick plush costumes turned his way. Naturally, Lincoln began to feel reasonably alarmed by all the eyes staring at him. But then, a kid around his age (dressed as a White Knight from the Chess Court) approached him and smiled.

"Dude, sorry if this sounds weird to you" he said suddenly, "but I am a huge...HUGE fan of this series, mind signing my crown?" After that, several other people began to ask similar questions; ranging from wanting his autograph or asking if they could take a picture with him.

Sensing that he was about to become overwhelmed, Becky and Chaz quickly rushed to his side and helped move some of the people back. "One at a time, folks; one at a time" Becky said firmly, "he'll answer anything you like, just let him have some fun first." The crowd let out a collective groan of disappointment but understood that today was a day for fun.

So, with that in mind; they let Lincoln and his friends off on their way while wishing him a good time. "See you later, everybody" he called out happily, as he walked away "hope you'll all enjoy the Con; come see me at the food court later, if you have questions."

There was much fun had at the convention, that day. There were photo op moments, games, stage shows and the crew even got a caricature of them drawn in comic form. "Man; so far, today has been awesome" Stella said with glee, "it's a shame none of the other girls didn't want to join us."

Lincoln couldn't help but sigh slightly in despair. Though he was, most definitely having a good time; it felt bad leaving so many of their crew out. But he knew that while comics could be enjoyed by anyone, not _everyone_ could become a fan and he respected that.

"It's funny you should mention that, Lil' Miss" Chaz chuckled, "Chaz has...a bit of a secret about one of our lady friends you should know." Feeling intrigued; Jordan, Lincoln and Stella all asked Chaz what he was hiding. Becky meanwhile, was consistently making all manner of "stop" gestures; as if afraid of what he would say.

"To make a long story short; when she was twelve, I managed to talk Dana into reading the series" Chaz said slyly, "she said she really loved the costumes...specifically Card Countess." Lincoln and Clyde couldn't help but gasp in awe at this. Now, it truly seemed that Ace Savvy Fandom knew no gender as well as age limit.

"If that's the case, though...why didn't Dana come with us" questioned Clyde, "unless of course, she was worried about being made fun of by others." At that moment, Lincoln found himself being lassoed around the belly by a blue scarf. Startled, he looks down and notices heart designs on the scarf.

_"Hold on a minute"_ Lincoln thought to himself, _"this looks like a version of the scarf Eleven of Hearts uses."_ Before he could ponder anymore on his situation, Lincoln was then jerked backwards by the scarf lasso and falls into a pair of open arms. Just then, he hears the sounds of female laughter...rather _familiar_ female laughter.

Lincoln then looks up slowly and discovers that it was Dana holding him, dressed in an Eleven of Hearts costume. This causes him to suddenly blush a light shade of red. But he was unsure if it was the hug, her outfit...or a slight combination of both that was causing it.

"H-Hey, D" Lincoln murmured shyly, adding his personal nickname for his lady friend; "fancy seeing you here, guess Chaz told the truth about you being an Ace fan." It was then revealed by Dana that she was the one whom Chaz gave his second ticket to. "I _was_ a tad worried about being seen in public as a fan" she confessed with mild shame, "but something inspired me to just forget about what everyone else thinks and just have fun."

When the group asked what it was that inspired her, Dana simply gestured at the four of them. "You guys weren't worried about being dubbed 'too old' for the series or being made fun of for liking Ace" she stated proudly, "you just puff out your chests and jump into the fun!" Once again, Lincoln's cheeks blushed softly and he thanked Dana for her praises.

"Thing is, though...I _have_ been made fun of before for liking Ace" he sighed, "mostly by my sisters...but their heckling feels worse than anything else." He then went on to say how Lisa claimed "comics destroy a human's intelligence levels with their nonsensical stories, outrageous characters, absurd displays of power and unrealistic scenarios." "She sounds like that political blowhard my dad watches at home" Becky groans, "he also says 'cell phones can warp peoples minds, if you talk on them too much.'"

The group let out a hearty laugh at how absurd the naysayers' thinking was. "Each to their own, as they say" murmured Joey with a light shrug, "so long as they stay out of _our_ fun, who cares." Everyone murmured in agreement and then, the intercom suddenly rang out. _"Attention all Aces in the hole"_ a voice called out loudly through the speaker, _"the Villain Panel Q&A will be starting in fifteen minutes!"_

Upon hearing this, Lincoln and Co. quickly hurried off into the west side of the convention center to find the best seats. The Q&A event went about as much as one would expect from gatherings like this. Some fans asked for more backstory info on one of the villains, while others simply wanted to hear their catchphrases.

Then, something unexpected happened; there was a wild flash of lights and smoke machines belted out their contents onto the stage. Soon after, two broad-chested kings approached the panel; one in black armor and the other in white. "What's goin' on here, ol' King Cole" grumbled The Old Maid, "who invited you two here?"

The Black King scoffed at the elderly crook and snapped his fingers, whereby a chamberlain swiftly brought over a large throne. Upon taking his seat upon it, the White King gazed out upon the crowd and bowed his head. "Good morrow, good people" he said with a regal tone, "we are pleased to grace thee with our presence."

The crowd of onlookers murmured in confusion, wondering why villains would be speaking so pleasantly towards everyone. "Wait a sec, I'm confused here" murmured Dana, "this is a villain panel, so...why are they acting so friendly?" Lincoln chuckled at this, remembering how many times he'd been asked similar questions from people who've read the Checkmate series.

"It's in his nature" he stated, "The White King is a bit more chivalrous and kind than the Black King." Stella scratched her chin slightly, feeling mildly intrigued by Lincoln's description. "So...is this like a 'White side is calm and the Black side is evil' sort of thing" she asks, "you know...like Yin and Yang?"

Renee chuckled from behind her and brought out a comic book. Then, she proceeded to engage in a deep discussion on the story. At first, Stella appeared confused by it all; mostly due to how frantic Renee was speaking.

But four minutes later, Stella appeared rather engaged. At one point, she turned to Lincoln and asked where he came up with the idea for the Full House Gang. "It was...It was, uh...my sisters" he muttered uneasily, "each member of the team is inspired by each of them."

Upon hearing this, the ladies and Chaz suddenly gasped with shock. "I thought High Card looked a bit familiar" murmured Dana, "but I don't understand, these characters are incredibly popular amongst the fanbase." Everyone nodded slightly at her words, saying that she spoke the truth.

"Of course they're popular, they're awesome" Joey exclaimed happily, "so...what's you're point?" It was in that moment that Lincoln understood where his friend was going and quickly raised his hand, directing everyone's attention towards him. "What 'D' is saying is...after, essentially making my sisters famous, why have they acted so hostile towards me on occasion."

Dana smiled down at him and tapped her finger lightly on her nose, signaling that he was right. "Sadly...even _I _don't have the answer" he sighed deeply, "I just...I just wish they respected me more." With this thought forming in his head, Lincoln's body language slumped and he began to dip slightly into a depressed state.

Then, much to his surprise; he found himself being squeezed from all sides by his friends. "I know things have been tough, buddy...for _both_ of us" Clyde stated, "since this whole thing started; I've been so worried for you, my dads and I almost got blocked out Dr. Lopez's call list." Confused, Dana asked who this "Dr. Lopez" was and how Clyde knew them.

"Long story short, she's the McBride Family's personal therapist/psychiatrist" Lincoln replied, "Clyde...has a tendency to call her too much, whenever he has a 'Lori Problem.'" With this reveal, everyone fully understood the situation. Being Lincoln's closest friend, hearing that he's been going through so much must've brought a lot of stress upon Clyde and his family.

When Lincoln apologized for causing said stress, the young African-American boy swiped his tears away and hugged him. "You have nothing to apologize for, buddy" Clyde said reassuringly, "I know you're going through some things...I just hope that...in the end, you'll be okay." Lincoln thanked his friend for his concern and they shared a warm hug.

Feeling touched by this heartwarming scene; Becky, Jordan and Dana joined in as well. "As for wanting to be respected, we totally understand" Clyde stated, "you try the hardest to prove yourself more than anyone else I know, even your sisters." After that, there was a collective murmur of proud agreement from each member of the group.

"Are you kidding me, all my hard work ever seems to do is make things worse" Lincoln mumbled, "name one time something I thought up has done well for you guys?" Upon saying this, a spotlight suddenly shined upon him from above; causing Lincoln to end his tirade midway. Then, after turning around towards the stage; he saw Bill Buck smiling at him and gesturing for him to come up.

Like a deer caught in the headlights, Lincoln stood frozen stiff; his eyes wide with surprise. He wasn't sure if he was in trouble or...if something else was going on. After a bit of urging from his friends, Lincoln hurried onto the stage.

After climbing the steps, Bill approached Lincoln with a smile and shook his hand fondly. "It's wonderful to see you again, my boy" he chuckled, "I'm happy I caught you, I needed to show you something." Though still confused by what was going on, Lincoln cautiously approached the table.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to ask you a question," he began, "how many among you have enjoyed the additions of The Full House Gang?" There was a tremendous uproar of applause and cheers from the crowd, many of which (as Lincoln saw) were dressed as the characters themselves. "Should be most of you, it seems" chortled the actor playing Ace, "now...who among you enjoyed mine and the team's battles against the Chess Court?"

Again, there came a wild uproar of cheers; this on sounding much louder than before. Upon seeing such a response, Bill Buck saw that it was time to make his move. "Then, Ladies and Gentlemen; I'd like you to meet Lincoln Loud" he decreed, slightly pushing the boy ahead of him; "for he is the one who brought_ both_ groups to life."

With that said, Lincoln found himself standing center stage before the crowd of near hundreds. A profound silence followed, afterwards; broken only by the small sounds of drinks being sucked through straws or the soft munching of food. Then, Lincoln saw a boy (who appeared a year or so younger than himself) approaching the stage.

He had shaggy blonde hair, blue eyes and freckles on his cheeks. He was dressed in his own Ace Savvy costume. But his had an "Ace" card symbol sewn into the cape. What followed next took both Lincoln and his crew by surprise.

With a bright smile on his face, the boy presents a comic featuring the Full House Gang and asks Lincoln "can I have your autograph?" Becky and Dana couldn't help but chuckle softly at the scene, while Clyde stared in astonishment. Meanwhile, Lincoln was unsure of what to think.

For the second time that day, someone wanted to get _his_ autograph for something he did. _"This feels too good to be true"_ Lincoln thought to himself, _"I best pinch myself to see if I'm dreaming."_ Without hesitation, he gave his left forearm a good yet quick pinch; resulting in a slightly painful sensation.

"Well, that certainly hurt" he muttered sarcastically, "which means...this is really happening." After this, Lincoln looked back down to his eager fan and smiled. "Of course I'll sign it for ya, pal" he chuckled, "who can I make this out to?"

The boy bounced with excitement and shouted out the name "Simon Sharp." Before putting the pen to the cover, Lincoln suddenly stopped himself. Something about the name seemed...familiar to him.

He tried to remember where he heard the name from...but nothing came to mind. Pushing that thought aside for the moment, Lincoln smiled and signed his name on the cover of Simon's book. On it; he wrote "to my pal, Simon; have fun reading! Sincerely, Lincoln."

Upon getting his book back, Simon could barely contain his joy. "Thanks for signing, Lincoln" he shouted with joy, "my sister is not going to believe this!" With that, he took his seat back among the chairs; giggling loudly. After that, several more people approached Lincoln; also asking for autographs.

One group of fans, about middle school age, asked to have their picture taken with him. With a soft chuckle, Lincoln approached the group and stood in the middle. After the first pic was taken, Clyde was called over to join in on the next one.

After that small photo session, Lincoln signed a few parts of people's Full House Gang and Chess Court costumes. Before leaving them, a few older female fans managed to sneak in some quick hugs and nuzzles with Lincoln. This seemed to make Jordan feel a smidge jealous...but she chose not to say anything.

After signing his name for one more fan, Lincoln was called back up to the stage. "Now then, my boy; there is a reason why I wanted you up here" Big Buck stated, "care to guess what that is?" Lincoln wracked his brain for several moments, trying to think up an answer.

When he said he had no idea, Lincoln saw Mr. Buck fishing about his pockets for something. Within moments, the comic creator found what he was looking for and brought it out; a wad of cash amounting to twenty-five hundred dollars in Lincoln's name. Upon seeing the check balance, Lincoln almost felt like fainting on the spot.

When he finally found his voice, he turned towards Mr. Buck and asked if all that money was really for him. "Of course it is; the stories do contain _your_ characters, after all" the man said with a chuckle, "it's not much but it might help ya out, should you decide in wanting to follow in _my_ footsteps and become a comic writer yourself." It took a while for him to register all this.

But eventually, a star-bright smile formed onto Lincoln's face and his body was filled with a strong sense of euphoria (or excitement.) Soon after, he found himself dogpiled by his group of friends; who all proceeded to congratulate him on his success. "It's all well-deserved, in my opinion" Joey said proudly, "what do you plan on doing with your new cash?"  
Lincoln thought it over for a moment and then, an idea suddenly popped into his head. He then looked over at Renee and asked to borrow her cell phone. "It'll be just for a second" he stated, "I need to do something quick. Although confused by why he wanted it, Renee silently yet nervously handed her phone to Lincoln.

Upon taking it carefully in hand, he proceeded to bring up an online shopping site. Then, after a quick search and item purchase, Lincoln handed Renee back her phone; along with two one-hundred dollar bills from his wad of cash. "What...What did you just do" questioned Renee, "and what's with the money handout?"

With a soft smile upon his face, Lincoln said that it was no handout. "I found another Chessboard online that's like the one you handed to me" he explained, "I hope you don't mind...but I purchased it and charged it to your store account." He then added that the two-hundred dollars was repayment for the aforementioned purchase.

Renee felt a swirl of thoughts swirl around her head, after that. She was happy that she would be getting the item she wanted, shocked that Lincoln bought it for her, confused by why he did it and yet...touched by his generosity. "Why...Why would you do this" she asked softly, "I mean...we got off on the wrong foot, when we first met; not to mention I was a jerk to you before."

Lincoln smiled at her and assured her that there was no bad blood between them. "After all, we Ace fans always stick together...right?" he asked hopefully, to which Renee responded with an enthusiastic high five. In that moment, Lincoln earned more than just the chessboard and some cash compensation for his contribution to Ace Savvy; he gained a new friend.

The crowd around them cheered loudly, pleased to see fellow fans getting along so well. Suddenly, there came a loud gurgling noise from the group's bellies. "Wow, look at the time" Chaz exclaimed while looking at his phone, "in all the excitement, we almost missed lunch."

After unanimously agreeing to grab something to eat, Lincoln and Crew went off to buy some One-Eyed Flapjacks and other food. "Wow! Things have been going awesomely for me, so far" Lincoln laughed while addressing the viewer, "feels almost too good to be true." Upon saying this, Lincoln suddenly felt a foreboding chill run up his spine.

"Now that I say that, why do I feel like something bad might happen" he asked with a nervous gulp, "best to enjoy myself while I can...who knows what tomorrow will bring.

(First AN: I have never been to a convention before; therefore, I did my best to think up what kind of activities Lincoln and Co. would do at the Ace Savvy Convention. I hope they all make sense to you all.)

(Second AN: The "Checkmate" series everyone mentions in this is a reference to my first ever Loud House fic, "Ace Savvy and the Full House Gang: Checkmate." Sorry if it felt like a "shameless plug." But I felt this chapter was a perfect place to mention it.)

(Third AN: Renee is a character from an earlier LH episode called Back Out There, for those confused)

(Fourth AN: Take a wild guess who Simon is, I challenge you. For those who can guess correctly, know that his involvement here will serve a purpose; in a later chapter)

(Fifth AN: It is unknown if Dana and Chaz are actually siblings within the show. But at the request of crafordbrian17; for this fic, they _are_ related)

(Final AN: Lincoln's moment with Alistair, Carol's dog is lightly inspired by Rapunzel's encounter with Maximus in Tangled)


	9. Chapter Nine: Lincoln's Poetry Reading

Lincoln's Poetry Reading

It was 4PM, when the gang left the convention center and everyone was still a-quiver with joy from all the fun they had. "I still can't believe you got twenty-five hundred dollars, Linky" Dana said with pride, "who'd have thought so many people would love your characters." The rest of the crew showed their encouragement in their own fashion (ranging from hugs to noogies.)

"Well, guys; I guess this is _adios_, for now" said Joey, "see you all later." After that; Becky, Chaz and Dana also said their goodbyes and prepared to split. Then, Lincoln quickly brought up an idea.

"Hold up, guys" he called out suddenly, "we've still got a few more hours to kill...why not go and do something else?" Intrigued, everyone looked at the "man with the plan" and asked what he had in mind. "Well...Haiku said something about a poetry reading happening, this week" he recounted, "she originally had it planned for another day but considering the current circumstances..."

With all that said, Becky smiled at Lincoln and brought out her phone. "Say no more, lil' man" she stated, "just give me a few seconds and hopefully, the Gal Pals will be a-go for the Burnt Bean." As the young high schooler began texting away at her phone, Clyde questioned Lincoln on who exactly the "Gal Pals" were.

"It's a nickname Carol came up with when we were at the spa" Lincoln said with a shy chuckle, "guess they thought it was appropriate for our group." Upon hearing this, Clyde began to feel a little teary-eyed; causing Lincoln to mildly panic. "What's wrong, buddy" he asked with concern, "are your allergies acting up again or..."

Clyde quickly wiped his tears away and turned his head in sadness. "No...it's not that" he muttered sadly, "I guess...I guess that...now that you have so many new friends, there won't be room for me anymore." The moment these words were said, Becky's thumbs suddenly stopped typing; which worried everyone.

"Hold up, McBride" she muttered, "you think that my friends and I are trying to replace _you_ or_ any_ of Linc's friends...well, you're wrong." Not expecting this sort of response, Clyde turned her way and looked up at Becky in confusion. Then; she casually approached Clyde, got down to his level and placed a tender hand upon his shoulder.

"No one could ever replace someone's life-long pal, Clyde" she assured, "we're just...helping Lincoln's circle of friends expand a little." Not long after saying this, Jordan and Stella quickly murmured in agreement with their older companion. "Besides, Clyde; any friend of Lincoln's is one of ours too" Jordan stated, "you're more than welcome in the Gal Pals crew."

Clyde was at a loss, due to the joy welling up inside of him. Then, all four ladies placed their hands atop one another and asked the boys to join them. A split second after that, everyone counted down from three and shouted "Gal Pals;" while the boys added the extra line of "with some guys in there too."

With that settled, Becky finished typing her text message and sent it off. A few seconds later, her phone started buzzing and she could see response messages from all their friends. "What did they say" questioned Lincoln, "will they be coming with us?"

Alas, his inquiry was met with a disappointed shake of the head. "Carol says that she and Whiney have some stuff to get together for the upcoming park cookout we have planned" she sighed, "but Haiku, Cici, Christina and Phoebe will be joining us." The moment the cookout was mentioned, Chaz volunteered to go "help" the girls in picking up supplies.

"Are you sure you're gonna go help...or will you just be trying to sneak more free samples again" questioned Joey, "remember what happened last time?" With a flustered blush on his face, Chaz said that the event in question was uncalled for. "I was _not_ overloading on the free samples" he cried out defensively, "there was another guy in that store who looked almost like me."

Everyone was prepared to doubt Chaz on his claim...until Lincoln quickly stood in his defense. "He may have a point about that, guys" he said firmly, "one April Fools Day, my family and I hired doubles to pose as us so that _they_ would face the onslaught of Luan's pranks." Naturally, the group chuckled softly at Lincoln's story, thinking it all sounded...a bit absurd.

Somehow, he could sense their disbelief and decided to present some proof. Once he brought out his phone, not only did he show photos of the doubles. But he also played video clips featuring them, causing everyone to gasp at the sounds of their voices.

"Wow...it's creepy how near identical they sound to your family" Jordan gasped, "but...why is _your_ double so...so...wrinkly." With an embarrassed shrug, Lincoln confessed that they had to hire an old man to play him; due to his white hair. "Wait...wait, hold on a minute" Jordan said suddenly, "so...that wasn't you hitting on Mrs. Johnson last April?"

The group couldn't help but shudder at the idea. "I mean...I like Mrs. Johnson, she's an awesome teacher" Lincoln groaned, "but I could never like her..._that_ much." Upon saying this, Joey jokingly implied how Lincoln only had a "specific type" of older women he preferred. Not a second after he had said this, Becky and Dana swiftly slapped their friend on the back of the head; while blushing profusely.

One brief scolding later, Chaz went off to join Carol on her market excursion. But not before promising to not abuse the free samples policy. Soon after Joey said his farewells and departed, the gang went off on their way to the Burnt Bean Café.

"I gotta say, guys; I'm a bit anxious about this next stop" Lincoln murmured, "I've never tasted coffee before and...while I like _hearing_ poetry, I'm not sure if I'll be able to _write_ any of my own." Clyde also confessed his wariness in sampling coffee, worried that it might agitate one (if not several) of his allergies. "I understand your concern, Linky" Dana said kindly, "which is why I see you as more of a...Mocha kind of guy."

When the boys asked what, exactly Mocha was; Becky described it as a sort of "hot chocolate mixed with a dash of Espresso and warm crème." Upon hearing the description, Lincoln and Clyde suddenly started licking their lips; apparently drawn to the hot chocolate. "Now, as for being a poet; do you remember what Haiku said" questioned Becky "'even the simplest of topics can be described with the most beautiful words.'"

Upon hearing these words, Lincoln realized that his friends were right; all it took was the right choice of words to bring out a beautiful poem. "I can't say I'll be the next Lord Byron, Tolkien or even Shel Siverstein" he confessed, "but I _will_ give it my best shot, you can bet on _that_." Clyde and the girls cheered loudly for their friend and happily patted him on the back, as they headed off on their way.

(Line Break)

Upon their arrival, Lincoln was surprised by the atmosphere of the café. From stories he had heard; Lincoln thought the place would be filled with dreary décor, people all in black clothes wearing berets or fedoras and the smell of coffee and burning tobacco from cigarettes. But much to his surprise, the Burnt Bean was like a combination bakery/café.

While there _were_ some people dressed in black sweaters, pants and headwear (as he presumed;) the establishment looked rather pleasant. Beside the entrance, he spotted a space containing a shelf board. Atop it sat a small row of books and below it, he saw a rather lovely plant; its flowers appeared to be blossoming slowly.

Up ahead, he spotted the stage; which was stationed before a large window overlooking the block. On said stage, he spotted an eighteen year old; sitting atop a stool and reading from a book. The words she spoke were soft yet carried a strong sense emotion with them.

As soon as the girl finished reciting her piece, the other patrons (including Lincoln's crew) proceeded to snap their fingers rapidly. "Uh...forgive me for sounding stupid about this" Clyde muttered, "but why is everyone doing that?" Upon saying this, the boys suddenly leapt in alarm; as Haiku suddenly popped up behind them (seemingly out of nowhere.)

"It's a tradition that dates back three-hundred years" she murmured softly, "during this passage of time, it's been considered more peaceful to snap fingers rather than clap hands." Becky seconded Haiku's statement, while adding that there was a "legend" behind the trend of snapping. "Long story short, people claimed you couldn't 'clap and hold your beer at the same time'" she said with a slight eye-roll, "doesn't make much sense but today, snapping just seems quieter and cooler."

Suddenly, the group was greeted by the proprietor of the Burnt Bean; a woman (possibly the same age as Lincoln's mother) wearing a purple shirt, blue sweatpants, purple sneakers, a pearl necklace and crescent moon earrings. But the one thing Lincoln noticed most about her was the woman's hairstyle. She had long, blonde hair, which was tied up into a ponytail by a scrunchy and it showed off a beautiful blue streak that ran from the tip of her bangs to the end of her ponytail.

"Welcome to the Burnt Bean, folks" the woman said in a relaxed tone, "my name's Amanda, how might I help you?" In response, Haiku brought up the Open Mic reading. "My friends and I would like to join in" she stated, "if you have room in the roster, of course."

With a bright smile on her face, Amanda happily welcomed the group to join in. "In the meantime, what can I get you kids" she asked, "cappuccinos, fraps, some tea?" While Haiku and the girls ordered a round of cappuccinos, the boys were thinking hard on what _they _wanted.

"Are any of the teas hypoallergenic" questioned Clyde, "I don't want to risk getting a sore throat, if I drink the wrong kind." Amanda chuckled softly at him and offered up some herbal tea with a teaspoon of honey. "This is just the trick to help refresh the body and sooth the mind" she stated, "I have a glass before every reading I do here."

Feeling intrigued, Clyde thanked the woman for the tea and took a sip. Upon swallowing; he felt a warm, comforting sensation flow through his body. "Wow, this really _is_ good" Clyde gasped with delight, "I should bring this up to my dads, they might like the tea too."

When Lincoln was asked for_ his_ order, he requested a mocha with a dollop of crème. After a minute or so of preparation, Amanda came back with the drink and handed it to Lincoln. Though hesitant to try it, at first; he took the cup in his hands, gingerly touched the rim to his lips and lightly sipped the drink inside.

Then, Lincoln suddenly found himself caught in a whirlpool of warm and pleasant sensations. But he wasn't sure if it was the warmth of the hot cocoa or the sprinkles of caffeine mixed in with it that was causing them. In any case, Lincoln drank every drop of it; leaving him in a mildly blissful state.

"That was delicious" he exclaimed with delight, "may I have a refill, please?" With a pleased giggle, Amanda happily refilled the boy's cup. But not before presenting a clipboard with a sheet of paper attached to it.

"While you're maxin' and relaxin', do me a solid and sign your name on the list here" she requested, "it'll help me remember when it's your time to come on stage." With that said, she handed Lincoln a pen and went off to attend to other customers. After that, the group discussed who should go up first.

"I think I'll need time to think up a poem idea" Lincoln stated, "so, I'll probably want to go last." Everyone else nodded in understanding and quickly began to sign their names upon the list. When the last name was signed, everyone felt a different array of emotions about what was to come.

Haiku was anxious to be back up on the stage, her previous visit here still resonating in her mind. The other gals were already hard at work thinking up their ideas and Clyde...was doing his best not to pass out from nervous shock. Lincoln meanwhile, was a mix of many feelings; anticipation, excitement, joy and even a smidgen of fear.

_"Haiku says that poets can make even the simplest of topics sound beautiful" _he thought deeply, _"so...what topic would seem beautiful enough for a poem?"_ While he sat in his chair, munching on a donut and scratching the cap of his pen against his forehead in thought; Amanda climbed up onto the stage and readied the mic. "How are y'all doing, folks" she asked pleasantly, "welcome to the Burnt Bean's Open Mic Poetry Reading."

Upon saying this, the patrons proceeded to snap softly in a sort of "applause." At first, Lincoln tried to follow the crowd and snap along with them. But each time he tried, he only created the faint sounds of skin rubbing on skin.

Jordan quickly noticed his struggle and offered to help him out. "Here's how you snap your fingers, dude" she said while taking his hand and fingers in hers, "you just lightly place your thumb and index finger together and..." In a split second, Lincoln's fingers flicked against one another; creating a noticeable snapping noise.

After that, Lincoln began to snap more frequently; which made him laugh a little with pride. "There you go, Linc" Jordan cheered, "now, you can snap along with the rest of us." Soon after she had said this; Dana jokingly pointed out that Jordan was still holding the boy's hands.

With a nervous yelp, she quickly let go and turned away; all while desperately trying to hide the traces of red on her cheeks. Eventually, the open mic began and numerous patrons took the stage; each one offering unique styles of poetry. Lincoln scrunched his brow in confusion, as one reader recited her work while performing an interpretive dance.

Another poet's work sounded dreary, at first but it invoked a great deal of thought-provoking emotions. Then, the time came for Lincoln's crew to take the stage. "Next up on the Open Mic is Hildegard Matthews" Amanda announced, "take it away, Hildy."

Upon hearing this, Lincoln scratched his head in confusion; wondering who this "Hildegard" was. Then, he saw Haiku stand up from her seat and approach the stage. "All due respect, Haiku; I think you might've misheard her" he stated, "she called for someone named Hildegard to come on stage."

With a soft smile upon her face, Haiku said that she heard the owner quite clearly. "Thing is...Hildegard is my real name" she confessed, "I go by the name Haiku because it was the first style of poetry I came to love." To say that Lincoln was surprised by this would be a huge understatement.

But he didn't know which was more surprising, the fact that his Gothic friend possibly got into such a complex form of poetry at a young age or that Haiku wasn't her real name. In any case, he found the reveal to be rather interesting. Upon taking the stage, Haiku reached into the back of her dress and brought out a journal.

"Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen" she greeted stoically, "my poem is entitled 'Silence,' I hope you enjoy it." Then, with a wave of her hand; a bongo player from off-stage began to play some soft musical accompaniment.

(Haiku)

_Silence is Blissful, Silence can be Sweet_

_In a chaotic world, it can offer a retreat_

_Silence is rare, when you're among your peers_

_Whenever their chatter suddenly fills your ears_

_But silence is also Still, Silence can be Cold_

_Especially when you want a hand to hold_

_Silence can bring you peace of mind...or it can be horrific, if you're perhaps blind_

_Silence is golden...but it's fragile as glass._

_So, enjoy every quiet moment...before they all pass_

There was a soft yet enthusiastic round of snapping from the patrons, once Haiku finished her poem. It truly was an odd yet beautiful piece, even Lincoln and Clyde found it pleasant. As the young Goth girl took her seat, once again; the boys sent her a congratulatory thumbs up.

The next one on stage was Jordan, who offered up a poem about the simple yet extravagant beauty of the Spring season. While it wasn't a topic commonly used as for a poem there, the crowd still loved it. When Stella took the stage, she offered up a poem about a short yet sweet haiku on schoolyard stresses and the relief of Spring Break.

Soon after her, Dana took the stage and asked for a nearby bassist to offer up musical accompaniment along with the bongos. "Good afternoon, everybody" she said casually, "my poem is simply entitled...'Life.'" Upon saying this, the musicians began to play a soft melody; which signaled Dana to recite her poem.

(Dana)

"_Life...Life can be like a lime_

_It's often sweet and (moans with delight) oh, so sublime_

_Then...quiet...speechless, like a mime_

_BOLD AND NOISY LIKE A CRIME!_

_SO, DON'T YOU DARE WASTE MY TIME; 'CAUSE LIFE CAN STOOOP..._

_(_the music stops and a spotlight shines on Dana, who is holding a coin upon her thumb; poised to flip it)

_on the dime._

The crowd's fingers snapped wildly, as Dana took her bow. She truly felt proud of herself, especially since poetry was something she so rarely practiced. Coming up onto the stage next was Phoebe; who, on the outside, tried to calm and collected.

But on the inside, she was utterly terrified; like..."final exams are next week" levels of terrified. "I dunno you guys" Phoebe muttered nervously, "what if I go up there and choke...or worse?" As he watched his friend wring her hands nervously; Lincoln was suddenly reminded of how his sister, Luna was in a similar spot.

He also remembered how Luna got over her fear, which gave him an idea on how to help his friends. "Hey, Phoebe" Lincoln called out suddenly, "I think I might have something that could help you out." He then explained how reciting a simple mantra over and over helped Luna overcome her stage fright.

"If it worked for _her_; maybe, it could help _you_ out" he suggested, "I mean...it's not 100% guaranteed...but it's worth a shot." Phoebe considered the idea carefully and realized that it was the best option she had. After taking in a few breaths, she thought up the perfect mantra and recited it in her head; _"Go with the flow and you're good to go."_

As she took to the stage, Phoebe continuously chanted this mantra to herself. But the moment the spotlight turned her way, she suddenly froze like a deer in the headlights. For a moment, she dared not move a muscle, worried that she might mess up and humiliate herself.

But then; she took in a deeeep inhale, let it out evenly and recited her mantra in her mind..._"Go with the flow and you're good to go."_ After collecting her nerves, seconds later; Phoebe smiled at the crowd and took the mic. "My poem is called _'Picture Perfect'_" she said calmly, "I hope you'll like it."

With a nod of her head, the bassist began strumming a soft tune and Phoebe began to share her work.

_A pic is worth a thousand words...but what does it truly say_

_Does it tell you "you're the greatest..."or that your should go away_

_A pic can share your deepest thoughts, it can also share your fears._

_It can show off incredible beauty, bringing all onlookers to tears_

_A pic can say "I love you" or it can say "we're done."_

_But which pic can express _my_ feelings, which portrait is the one_

_I see paintings of crying clowns...but why do they cry, I don't know.  
I see snapshots of famous celebs showing off their glow_

_I've seen realism, surrealism and loads of modern art._

_But I ask "where is the anguish...WHERE IS THE HEART?!"_

_I like to see pics of people in their most natural of stages, instead of those fake creations we see on magazine pages._

_I want pics that tell me stories...of laughter, joy and love._

_I want stories about the ground beneath us...and about the heavens above._

_A pic is worth a thousand words, that's quite a hefty amount. _

_So, as you work your magic; make each one of them count._

As everyone's fingers began snapping, Phoebe took a bow and thanked everyone for her time. Lincoln also snapped along with them, even though he felt that the poem's topic was...a bit on the nose (considering she was a photography student.) But Lincoln could sense references to more than just photography pictures in her piece.

As Cici took the stage, she presented a poem on the trials of middle school and how the right friends can help you through them. Becky took the stage next and did a poem on the "wonders of fashion;" which, surprisingly got a positive response from everyone. When Clyde took the stage, he presented...a most unusual piece entitled "Ode to Lori."

But after the ninth word that rhymed with "Lori," Clyde was given the hook (both figuratively and literally.) As Clyde fought desperately to finish his ode, Christina decided to check up on Lincoln. When she looked over her shoulder, she saw him either relentlessly scribbling away on a notepad or erasing what he already had on the page.

Sensing that he needed more time to work, Christina decided to go up on stage next. The poem _she_ presented was an already existing poem written by Emily Dickinson. When her friends asked why she chose such an idea, Christina confessed that she felt too nervous in presenting something original.

"It's okay; everyone feels shy, when they first take the stage" Haiku stated, "even I felt that way, when _I_ first said one of my poems aloud." Finally, the time came for Lincoln to show his stuff. But everyone wondered if he had anything ready yet. "It's you're turn, buddy" Clyde whispered, "you ready to roll."

Lincoln remained silent for a few more seconds, before stamping the tip of his pen upon the paper and sighing with relief. "Wow...I haven't burned my brain up that much since our last math quiz" Lincoln gasped, "but...I'm all finished; I just need a drink, before I go up." After taking a small sip from his mocha, Lincoln picked up his poem and walked up onto the stage.

"Afternoon, everybody" he murmured softly, "my poem is...something personal and it's dedicated to some special people in my life." The other patrons couldn't help but go "aww" at his statement, while Clyde and the girls wondered who he was talking about. "My poem is entitled...'Family'" he said with a calming sigh, "I hope you'll enjoy it...and I hope those who've inspired me to write this will as well.

After taking a moment to calm his mind and relax himself, Lincoln began to recite his piece.

_Family_

_Family is those who help guide you through whatever harsh trials you ever run into._

_Family is those who help watch your back, should you ever find yourself under attack._

_A family is full of people who pick you up whenever you're down. They are the one who promise to make sure you'll never frown_

_Family watches over you, whenever you feel alone; regardless of how much their eavesdropping might make you groan_

(Audience chuckles softly)

_But when even among those who share your blood, you might still feel out of place._

_Which is why, for me; a family...can be found in a friendly face._

_Family can be those who help get you through the day._

_Family are those you grew up with, laughed together and play._

_Family, come what may, are those who stand by your side._

_They are those who help keep your secrets, even the deepest ones you hide._

_TRUE family comes from trust; through friendship, joy and love._

(he looks over towards Clyde and the girls with tears of joy streaming down his face)

_And it is to you, my most beloved friends...that I say (sniffle) that you're a cut above._

_So, wherever you may find them; in your house or neighbor's yard._

_Always stand by those you call family...for losing them can be hard_

Once he had finished, Lincoln was met with a deathly silence; one that lasted almost a solid twenty seconds. Then; as he began trudging off the stage, the room echoed with loud sounds of snapping and soft yet pleased murmurs. Within moments, Amanda appeared on the stage beside him and patted Lincoln on the back proudly.

"How about that, folks" she said while wiping a joyful tear away, "that was truly a deep piece...give him a big hand." The sounds of snapping rang loudly for almost a solid minute, after Amanda's words were said. Utterly surprised by this response, Lincoln (while chuckling bashfully) took a few bows and headed back to his table.

Upon his arrival, he saw that everyone was struggling to hold back their tears. "OH MY GOSH, GUYS; ARE YOU OKAY" Lincoln cried with shock, "did my poem upset you...did I say something wrong or did I..." Before he could continue, Lincoln's words were suddenly cut off by Clyde nearly squeezing the life out of him.

It didn't take long for the ladies to join in on the embrace, which only confused Lincoln further. Finally, Clyde softly inhaled through his nose and asked "did you mean all that?" Lincoln was caught off-guard by this inquiry and asked what he meant.

"What you said in the poem...you know, about family" Jordan spoke up suddenly, her eyes ready to burst with tears, "did...did you write that about us...and did you mean what you said?" Only now did Lincoln understand why they were crying. By looking through the subtext of his words, his friends realized he was speaking about _them_.

With a bashful blush upon his cheeks, Lincoln admitted that they were..._half_ right. "The other side of my inspiration comes from my own biological family" he confessed, "yes...they've all done me wrong...but somehow, I still love them and will continue to love them." Clyde was so amazed by Lincoln's words, his glasses almost fell off his face.

The girls, meanwhile could each feel their faces heat up and their hearts racing. Even Haiku's naturally pale complexion began to heat up. Never before had they heard Lincoln speak so profoundly and full of emotion. Truly, hearing his poem helped them see him in a whole new light.

_"Wow...who'd have thought Lincoln was such a deep thinker" _Jordan thought in awe, _"it makes him seem kinda...hot!" _Christina was having similar thoughts about him, believing she was wrong to push away from him due to something as trivial as an overzealous crush. Lastly, Haiku's mind and heart were caught in a whirlwind of emotions.

In spite of her typical Gothic nature and stoic personality, even _she_ had moments where her walls came down; especially after something or someone has touched her heart. Meanwhile, Becky and Dana both stared in awe at their young friend; their jaws hanging with utter shock and their cheeks moist with tears. On the surface, they appeared frozen as statues.

But on the inside, both of their minds thought the same thing; _"he is so passionate...if only he were six years older."_ At that moment, this tender scene was suddenly disturbed by the soft sounds of hands clapping. Lincoln turned around to see a young woman approaching from the "pick up order" line.

She had black hair that was done up into an adorable bun. Her lips were lightly coated with fire engine red lipstick, she wore a pair of blue-grey business jeans, a pair of golden hoop earrings and wore an orange t-shirt with the Burnt Bean's logo on it. Much to his surprise, this woman began to casually approach Lincoln; which made him a tad anxious.

"So sorry to disturb you all, children" the woman said apologetically, "but...I just wanted to come up and congratulate you on your poems, especially you...Mr. Loud." Upon hearing the woman address him this way, Lincoln questioned her on how she knew his name. "Oh, yes...my apologies; I should really introduce myself" she muttered softly in an embarrassed tone, "my name is Margaret Chen and I'm the superintendent of the Royal Woods School District."

Once her name was revealed, the older girls suddenly became quite nervous. "Ma'am, I know it may seem strange gals our age with a boy Lincoln's age" Dana murmured anxiously, "but we can _assure_ you that we're just here having a good time." After saying this, the older girls feared that Superintendent Chen would still scold them for hanging out with a grade school student.

But much to their surprise, the woman simply gave them a loud and hearty chuckle. "Rest easy, girls; you're not in trouble" Superintendent Chen assured, "in fact, I'm thrilled that young Mr. Loud has some good company with him...especially after what's been going on." Upon hearing this, Lincoln's earlier joyful mood began to ebb out slightly.

"Oh...you've heard about that, huh" he stammered, "look...I can explain everything." The young administrator smiled at Lincoln and patted him lightly on the shoulder. "It's okay, dear...you don't need to say anything" she stated, "my associates have seen and heard enough to show me what's been happening."

After saying this, Chen walks over to her seat and brings back with her a large folder. Inside of it was a thick collection of reports with the label "Royal Woods Child Protective Services" stamped on it. Along with _these _documents were reports filled out by people within the neighborhood and business establishments all over town.

Poor Lincoln was beside himself with worry; he didn't know what Superintendent Chen might've heard, what was going on at the moment or what the papers she had were all about. But in his heart, he knew that his family was in the center of it...and he couldn't help but pray for their safety.

(First AN: Dana's poem in this chapter was loosely inspired by the one spoken in the café scene in An Extremely Goofy Movie. I thought it would be perfect for a gal like Dana, personally; the other poems featured, however all came from my noggin. So...I stealing.)

(Second AN: Superintendent Chen was a minor character featured in the episode, The Write Stuff. She was the one who gave Huggins an "above average" grade on his progress report. With all the stuff happening to Lincoln and with so much word getting out already...it was a matter of time until she found out.

This will mean some big grey clouds will be floating overhead of the Loud Sisters, very soon.)

(Third AN: Speaking of whom; come next chapter, we shall be seeing life in the Loud House _after _Lincoln momentarily defected. Rest assured, some long overdue retribution is coming their way)


	10. Chapter Ten: Karmaic Kountdown

Karmaic Kountdown

As Superintendent Chen begins her tale, let us turn back the clock several days ago; about the time Lincoln was let out of school early for break. The moment Cheryl brought in his phone book (or whatever that little thingy with the note cards is called,) Principal Wilbur Huggins began collecting a series of numbers. After collecting a reasonable pile, he picked out one and pressed a button on a speed-dial phone.

It rang and rang incessantly for about fifteen seconds; until someone, at long last, picked up on the other line. _"This is the Royal Woods Administration Office"_ a voice spoke on the other end, _"how may I transfer your call?"_ After sharing a brief yet casual talk between Huggins and the secretary, the former quickly got down to business.

"I would like for you to connect me with Superintendent Chen, please" Huggins said bluntly, "it's a matter of grave importance." Without hesitation, the woman on the other line quickly connected the principal to Chen's office phone line. Once again, Huggins found himself put on hold. But this wait felt more bothersome than the previous one.

_"Come on...pick up the phone already" _Huggins thought anxiously, _"at this very moment, a child's life or mental state may very well be at risk!"_ Finally, after almost two minutes of being on hold, a voice sounded off on the other line. _"What is it now, Wilbur" _Superintendent Chen's voice murmured in minor annoyance, _"if this is about raising the grade on your evaluation report from last month; I told you that..."_

Before Chen could continue, she suddenly heard a loud thud on the other end; which meant that something either fell...or that Huggins slammed his fist upon his desk. _"With all due respect, ma'am; I called you about something more important than a silly evaluation report"_ he shouted suddenly, taking the superintendent off-guard. Upon realizing his rash behavior, Huggins quickly took a moment to calm himself down.

"My apologies...I'm just...a little out of sorts lately" he sighed deeply while rubbing his temples, "you see...something has been going on with one of my students, Lincoln Loud." Upon hearing the boy's name, all the past memories of other reports concerning the "Loud Children" flashed through her mind. Unfortunately, said incidents numbered nearly in the hundreds to thousands.

These included Luna disrupting class due to her music, Lori often shirking her in-class studies to focus on her text sessions with her boyfriend, Luan terrorizing her peers with her pranks and of course, the many reports of aggressive/unsportsmanlike conduct performed by Lynn Jr. But she seldom if not ever heard any ill reports about their younger brother. "What do you have to report, Huggins" asked Superintendent Chen, "and make it quick, I'd like to finish my paperwork before starting Break."

As she sat back in her chair and listened, the expressions on the woman's face suddenly began to change rapidly. In the span of twenty to thirty seconds; her face changed from shocked to confused to outraged to disgusted all the way up to horrified. Soon after that, all became deathly quiet; save for the faint chatter of the building's staff outside the office doors.

For the longest time; neither Chen spoke nor did Huggins on the other end of the line and the poor woman, in her frazzled state, almost drop the phone from her hand. It wasn't until she heard Huggins' voice calling her name through the phone when she finally snapped out of her daze. _"Ma'am...are you alright" _he asked worriedly, _"you went quiet so quickly...I thought something bad might've happened."_

After taking a moment to collect herself, Chen picked the phone back up and assured Huggins she was alright. "I just...felt a tad overwhelmed earlier" she explained, "what you've told me is...quite a bit to take in." Huggins murmured softly on the other end; admitting that, when _he_ first heard the story, he was in the same boat.

_"Despite how...outrageous it all sounds, every bit of young Lincoln's story is true"_ Huggins said with a deep sigh, _"I've even seen the physical evidence of what he's endured."_ Upon hearing this, Superintendent Chen questioned Huggins about the "physical evidence" he saw. What he described next was something the administrator did not expect.

Full-bodied sunburn, bruises, black eyes, skin rashes due to "highly experimental serums," coming to school covered in all manner of trash. These were but a few of the examples of circumstances Lincoln endured...but the superintendent remained moderately unconvinced. "I would like to believe you, Wilbur; I truly would" she murmured slightly, "but how do we know this isn't simply a lie the boy created to earn sympathy from you?"

At first, Principal Huggins said nothing; believing that his superior may be right. But then, he remembered that a friend of his was with him from the start of the ordeal; a student known as Girl Jordan. "I'll get back to you on that later on, Superintendent Chen" he said suddenly, "I just need to make one other phone call."

The woman let out an exasperated sigh on the other end of the line and urged him to hurry along. After pressing the hold button, Huggins quickly sought out Jordan's home phone number and dialed it. Soon, he found himself in a troubling discussion with the girl's mother.

"Run that by me again; if you would, ma'am" Huggins said while lightly shaking his head, "you go to Mr. Loud's house to retrieve his belongings and upon your arrival, you almost got caught up in a fight?" Upon hearing the man's words, Jordan's mother quickly rephrased the statement. _"I go to the house to pick up Lincoln's things"_ she began slowly_, "but as soon as his parents help me in, we almost found ourselves caught in the biggest sibling quarrel I've ever seen!"_

As she continued, much of the story sounded like a typical sibling fight; shouting offensive names, throwing food at one another, shouting; that sort of thing. "Then, one of his sisters came rushing in while wildly swinging a baseball bat" she shuddered, "it almost struck me in the leg." Huggins winced under his breath at the news, muttering how this matter should be brought up to Principal Ramirez at the Middle School.

_"After barely dodging the bat, I suddenly stumble backwards and fell onto a pile of mud pies one of the young twins was using"_ Jordan's mother explained, "_at least_, I think _that was mud."_ She then mentions how, while trying to clean herself off, a snake suddenly wrapped around her right ankle. "Hold it there, ma'am" Huggins exclaimed suddenly, "did you say that...a snake was around your ankle?"

After taking a moment to push back the image in her head, Jordan's mother confirmed that was what she saw. _"According to Mrs. Loud; this snake was one of her younger daughter, Lana's many...many 'exotic pets.'"_ Soon after that, she began to list all the other critters the girl had; including a frog, a lizard, a rat, several insects (including ants and a flea) and many others.

_"Mrs. Loud even said to me 'be glad it was the snake that saw you and not the gator'"_ Jordan's mother whimpered fearfully, _"how that girl is allowed to have so many animals indoors, much less an alligator, is beyond me!"_ Huggins hummed softly to himself, upon hearing this; wondering if Animal Control should also be contacted.

"Anything else happen there that I should know about?" he asked, "this is all starting to become more than just a student's mental state at stake." With a weary sigh, Jordan's mother prepared to continue...but Huggins quickly stopped her. "Hold that thought, Miss" he stated, "I might need you to join me in a group call with the superintendent...she would want to hear this."

Sometime later, Huggins checked with the parents of other students Lincoln was said to be associating with. With each call, much to his dismay; the stories all seemed nearly the same...Lincoln's current home situation left him on edge. After each of these parents shared their stories with Superintendent Chen, she then suggested that someone should contact Child Protective Services.

(Line Break)

During the evening hours of the first day of break, Superintendent Chen was seen relaxing in her home; engaging in some reading. When at that moment, her phone begins ringing off loudly; almost causing her to drop her book. She growls softly in annoyance and picks it up, expecting to see Huggins' number once again.

But what she saw, instead was the caller ID of Amber Keck; the Middle School gym teacher/coach. "Hello there, Amber" the superintendent greeted casually, "heard you went to the spa today, how was it?" After this, Chen sat quietly as she listened to the coach chatter away on the other line.

While this went on, she reached over and took a sip from a glass of lemonade. But then, something in the coach's story shocked Chen so much; the glass almost fell from her hand. "His sister did _what_ to the stylist" she gasped, "and he had the marks to prove it?" There was a soft murmur on the other end, which would mean that Keck gave a short yet simple answer.

After this, the voice of one Principal Ramirez suddenly spoke up. He went on to explain the talk young Lincoln had with a high school boy named Chaz. _"The stories we heard him talk about, ma'am...you can't imagine how bizarre they all sounded"_ Ramirez sighed, _"he said things about full-body sunburn, having to sleep in a doghouse for several nights, being forced to meet with several 'dates' at the homecoming dance...a dance he had no intention of going to from the beginning."_

Upon hearing about the sunburn, she recalled Huggins mentioning the same thing not long ago. _"It was some of the worst stuff I've ever seen, ma'am"_ sighed Principal Ramirez, _"worse than the sort of sunburn my brother-in-law got last summer in Miami."_ Then, Coach Keck mentioned something about Lincoln being banned from the supermarket due to his sisters' actions.

_"Take your pick, ma'am...there's more of that to come, unfortunately"_ she sighed deeply, _"Ramirez even said the kid once suffered a barrage of April Fool's pranks set by his elder sister, just to protect a friend."_ When Coach Keck went into detail on what the pranks were, Chen almost choked on her lemonade. "She did all _that _to him...and the parents did _nothing_ to stop it" she asked in disbelief, "what if Lincoln got hurt?!"

When Ramirez said that Mr. and Mrs. Loud were too afraid to discipline their daughter, Superintendent Chen's jaw almost struck the floor. "That is ridiculous, a parent is _not_ supposed to fear their own child" she decreed, "nor should said child perform such physically harmful 'jokes' (and I use the term 'jokes' _very_ loosely here.)" Both Ramirez and Keck muttered softly in agreement and asked their superior what she planned to do next.

"After giving it much thought, I think I _should_ give Child Protective Services a call" she muttered in reply, "it's high time that we looked more into the Loud Family...before things get worse." With that, she bade the two teachers' farewell and made an immediate call to the Royal Woods CPS building. While this was going on, things did _not_ change much between the Loud Sisters.

(Scene Change: The Loud Residence, two days into Spring Break)

It has been two days since Lincoln left the house. Yet their moods still remained the same...bitterly hostile. In the beginning, this nonsense was just between Lori and Leni; the two eldest sisters. But not long after, the other sisters went into the breech.

Luan's tools for pranking became weapons of war, Luna readied her guitar to unleash a violent blast from her power chords, Lucy's bats were poised to strike anyone foolhardy to approach their mistress and Lori eyes blazed red with fury; ready to throttle anyone who'd dare speak up first. The parents, meanwhile hid themselves behind the separating wall leading into the kitchen. From the corner of his eye, Lynn Sr. looked towards his youngest daughters; hoping _they_ would have more sense.

Alas, it appeared that even _they_ were swept up in the hostility; even Lily glared menacingly at her elder sisters. While this was going on, Rita thanked the heavens that Lincoln was far away from all this. But she wondered just how long they would be apart from one another.

Sometime later, each of the girls decided to leave the house and "clear their heads" a little by visiting some of their favorite hangouts. Little did they suspect that they would not be so warmly greeted, upon their arrival. The first of these places Reininger's, Leni's workplace and oftentimes favorite hangout.

Upon her arrival, she spotted her work friends Fiona and Miguel; chatting idly with one another. "Hey, guys; it is totes awesome to see you both" she called out in a mildly cheerful tone, "I could use some good company, right now." The duo in question simply cast some disinterested glances her way and continued with their discussion.

Presuming that they didn't hear her, Leni began to approach the front door; only to be stopped by her employer, Mrs. Carmichael. Being the...shall we say, ditzy gal she is; Leni was oblivious to the firm glare the older woman was giving her. "How have things been, Ma'am" she asked casually, "I'm guessing that swimwear sales have gone up due to Spring Break?"

In response to this inquiry, Mrs. Carmichael presented her with a chart paper; which showed a red line dipping incredibly low. "No, Ms. Loud" muttered the businesswoman, "I'm afraid sales haven't gone up...they haven't gone up for the past few days." This news seemed to greatly shock the usually chipper blonde.

"But why, the store is always popular during Break" she inquired, "what could be causing sales to go so badly?" At that moment, Miguel exited the store and took his place beside his boss; his face also bearing a disappointed look. "It's not so much as a _what_ that's causing sales to drop, Leni" he grumbled bitterly, "it's a who."

This made the girl feel even more confused...that is, more so than she usually is. "What's a 'who'" she asked, "I've never heard of a Who before...but my sister's heard of a band called The Who..." Before Leni could continue, Mrs. Carmichael informed her that she would be taking a "leave of absence" until called upon again.

"Where would I take a 'leave of absence' to, Ma'am" she asked naively, "I mean, I _could_ take it to the mall or to a movie or..." Once again, Leni was stopped in mid-speech; this time by Fiona, another work friend. "I'm gonna cut to the chase and just tell it to ya straight, girl" she said bluntly, "you are banned from coming into the store until we say you can come back!"

Thanks to the simple word of "banned;" Leni, at last was able to understand her situation. "But...But why are you guys banning me" she questioned fearfully, "if it's about that time I took the clothes off the sales rack, last week; I made sure to put them back, after I was done in the dressing room." It was here that Mrs. Carmichael revealed that the girl's situation was far more severe than that.

"Let's just say...something about you has been brought to my attention, recently" she said matter-of-factly, "something that has caused our customers to stop shopping here. Alas, the poor girl still didn't follow what was happening and she quickly became distressed. "Well...can we still hang out together _outside_ of the store" she asked, "I mean...I won't be breaking the ban, if we did."

Upon hearing this, Miguel and Fiona gave Leni the cold shoulder and walked away. This sight caused the girl's heart to tighten slightly, as if it were being squeezed by a vice. Leni then gave her boss one last pleading gaze, hoping she would show pity on her.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Loud but until the ban is lifted; you must leave" Mrs. Carmichael droned softly, "I can't have someone who has such blatant disregard for family in my store." With that, she walked through the doors and shut them in Leni's face...hard. In the moments following this incident, the young blonde proceeded back to her home; her brain buzzing with questions.

Why did they ban her from her own job, why were her friends acting so mean...and what did Mrs. Carmichael mean when she said that she showed...blate, blatein..._blate ant_ disregard for family? Upon thinking of the word, Leni suddenly froze in her tracks and her face slowly contorted into a vicious sneer.

_"It must've been Lori or one of the others"_ she growled to herself, _"they must've called my work and said something to Mrs. C!"_ With this in mind, she decided to head back home and give her sister a piece of her mind. But then, she suddenly thought that...maybe it wasn't such a good idea to do that.

After all; back home, things were already hostile enough. So, why say something that would only make things worse? Realizing that she was feeling a bit stressed, she decided to give a call to the person who might be able to help her; Chaz. With a blissful sigh, she brought up her phonebook and pressed her boyfriend's phone number on speed dial.

But no sooner had she done this, a bright red "X" symbol appeared with the words "call blocked" showing beneath it. "What...Blocked, why would my number be blocked" she asked herself, "maybe...maybe it's just a mistake, let me try it again." With great determination, she tried three more attempts to call Chaz...only to be met with the same "call blocked" symbol each time.

After the third and final failure, Leni sniffled softly and trudged off for home. Meanwhile, the rest of her sisters were in similar situations themselves.

(Scene Change: The Royal Woods Baseball field, first day of break)

Down at the baseball field, in the park area of town, Lynn was raring to vent out her stresses with some good ol' sports action. Upon her arrival, she spotted two of her friends on the field; Margo and Polly. With her gear hoisted on her back, Lynn rushed towards the field; all while calling out her friends names.

"You gals ready to rumble" she exclaimed, "'cause 'Lynner, Lynner Chicken Dinner' has got the urge!" Much to her surprise, neither of the girls spoke up. They just glanced at her for about five seconds and then, went back to cleaning up their shoes or gear.

Believing that her friends might not have heard her, Lynn reached into her sports bag and brought out an air horn; which she then proceeded to blare it wildly while screaming. Despite wincing slightly from the loud blares of the horn, Margo and Polly continued ignoring her. At this point, Lynn was beginning to feel mildly bothered and prepared to blare the horn again.

But then; a tall, burly mustachioed man dressed in a sports uniform quickly snatched it away, before she could sound it off. Normally, Lynn would openly throttle anyone who touched "her stuff." But when she saw that it was one of her coaches, she quickly stood at attention.

"I'll be taking that, Loud" muttered the man, as he stowed away the air horn; "best explain why you're disturbing the girls here?" Without the slightest hesitation, Lynn proceeded to speak to her coach casually; indicating that she wanted to hang with her sports pals. "What makes you think we'd want to hang with _you_" grumbled Margo, "I mean; after our big football game loss, last week...I'll bet you see us as 'bad luck...' right?"

Lynn could barely understand what was going on in front of her. Why were her friends talking this way to her, why was her coach being so apprehensive...and what was with Margo talking about "bad luck?" After giving a nonchalant shrug, she proceeded to walk through the park entrance.

But then, her coach suddenly gripped the back of her collar and pulled her back. "I'm sorry, Loud" muttered the coach, "but I'm afraid that there's no place for you here." These words felt like a hard right hook to the gut for Lynn, who appeared utterly dumbfounded.

"Could you run that by me again, Coach" she murmured confusedly, "I think I may have had some stuff in my ears." The baseball coach let out a deep and exasperated groan, before facepalming himself. Then, he fished about his gym bag for a few moments until he found what he wanted; a stack of papers.

"I'll explain it to you better with these, Loud" he grumbled, "maybe _then_, you'll understand." Without even a word, he shoved the papers into Lynn's arms and gestured for her to read them. The young jock then proceeded to skim through them all, without hesitation.

Upon reading them, Lynn discovered that these papers were all the sign up sheets for all the sports teams she signed up for over the past year or so. Much to her surprise, every sheet had a thick red mark plastered on each of them. Sensing that the girl wasn't getting the message, the coach decided to get down to brass tacks.

"In the past, Loud; I've overlooked some of your...shall we say, overzealous behavior, during games or practice" he stated, "but recently, Principal Ramirez has brought to my attention some news about you that I find...questionable." Before Lynn could question him, the coach quickly interrupted her and began to go into deeper detail on the matter.

"I've been told that your eldest sister, Lori...it is Lori, right" he questioned softly, "anywho; I heard that your sister, Lori had...a bit of a bad game at the golf course last Saturday." Lynn grumbled softly and said that his assumption was correct. "Lori always was a sore loser" she sighed, "especially whenever she loses against her 'rival,' Carol Pingrey."

The coach said nothing in response, the only thing he _did_ do was give a simple nod. In his mind, he began to believe that poor sportsmanship might have been a common trait shared within Lynn's family. "So, then...you said your other siblings began to fight as well" he said matter-of-factly, "care to explain what you meant by that?"

With an exasperated groan; Lynn proclaims that such a thing always happens, whenever one or more of her sisters fight. "Long story short; whenever a serious fight happens, the rest of the family stays out of the way until said fight is settled" she explains in annoyance, "this happens almost every time we fuss over something stupid!" This explanation suddenly brought Margo and Polly to burst out laughing.

"The only thing stupid here is that story, Lynn" Polly shouted between guffaws, "the idea that you guys would let a silly fight get so bad is laughable!" Taken aback by such a response, Lynn tried to make a retort; only to be interrupted by her coach. "I've also read reports about you pushing your brother out of your home, a few months back" he said bluntly, "apparently...it was all due to you thinking he was...'bad luck?'"

Upon hearing mentions of her brother, Lynn's anger began to boil; believing Lincoln must've squealed on her. "Look...whatever that wimp told you, let me tell you _my_ side of the story" she insisted, "see...even after doing all my rituals; the moment Stinkin' showed up, we still..." Her speech was suddenly halted, after the coach lightly yet shrilly blew his whistle.

"Cut the nonsense, Loud and give it to me straight" he demanded, "did you and your family or did you not force your only brother outdoors over some stupid superstition?!" Rather than respond respectfully, Lynn suddenly flew into a tirade. "BUT YOU KNOW ME, COACH; I NEVER LOSE!" she roared bitterly, "BUT AS SOON AS THAT LITTLE PUNK SHOWED UP, MY A-GAME FELL APART!"

The coach, Margo and Polly didn't know which was more disturbing; the fact that Lynn refused to deny her belief in superstition or that she was speaking so viciously about her only brother. Needless to say, it made what he was about to say next all the easier. "Loud...you're a great athlete, one of the school's best" he said with some glimmer of pride, "but due to your behavior as of late and your...apparent delusional ideas of luck, you have left me with no other options."

With a heavy heart, he then revealed the nature of the red marks on the papers. "These mean that until further notice, you're officially cut from all your athletic extracurricular activities" the coach decreed, "I'm sorry...but it must be done." In what seemed like a flash, Lynn's entire world seemed to fall to pieces.

"Wha...What, you're cutting _me_; you're star player" she muttered in disbelief, "why cut me for something that isn't even my fault?!" Soon after saying this, Margo stomped over towards Lynn and got right up in her face; proclaiming that _she_ was just as much to blame for her family's situation as the rest of them. "If you all weren't so butthurt about losing, none of this would be happening" she said firmly, "but nope, it's never about the game or fun with you...it's all about winning."

Lynn was slowly becoming rather irritated by her friend and teammate's behavior. "Has it ever occurred to any of you that for most athletes, winning _is_ fun" she asked bitterly, "I mean...how can you have fun if you lose at something?" With this statement; the coach reminded Lynn that the true value of a game athletes play comes from how you play it, not by achieving victory.

"When I was in college, I lost a big bowling championship; one that I had spent thee months prepping myself for" he explained, "sure; at first the loss bothered me...but I had so much fun playing the game overall, I forgot about it." Lynn stared dumbfounded at her coach, after the story ended. How could this man, who always pushed her to be her best on the team, be so nonchalant about losing a big game?

"What...What about your team" she asked suddenly, "they must've been sore about the loss!" The coach shrugged his shoulders and said that his team also felt happy that they had a lot of fun during the game. "The best part was when my roommate bought us chicken wings to celebrate our hard work" he sighed blissfully, "those were some good times."

Alas, Lynn was still unappeased; the idea that people would take losing with such uncaring attitudes was (to her) utterly absurd. "But losing gives you _nothing_, in the end" she cried, "all it leaves you with is shame, humiliation and anger!" To the coach, Margo and Polly; hearing such talk from her was both disappointing and disgraceful.

Without another world, the three of them went off to the farthest point of the field; leaving a still flabbergasted Lynn Loud Jr. behind. "What the...What is the matter with you people" she wailed desperately, "I did _nothing_ wrong here, _NOTHING!"_

(Scene Change: the community center)

While Lynn was experiencing her supposed "betrayal;" elsewhere, Lucy Loud was seen walking off towards the town community center. There, she hoped to have a nice get together with the Junior Morticians Club. _"This nonsense between Lori, Leni and the others is getting on my nerves"_ she thought monotonously, _"maybe some time among my own people will calm my nerves."_

As she marched her way up to the entrance, Lucy could see several of her fellow club members already inside. She smiled softly, anxious to be among friends soon. But as her hand reached for the door, one of the other Goth kids suddenly popped up behind her; giving Lucy a bit of a fright.

He was a tall, lanky young man dressed in what looked like a white, long-sleeved lab coat and long black boots. His ears were long and pointed, he had a round, bald head, had bags beneath his eyes and a set of small buck teeth (but to him, they were like fangs.) Upon recovery, Lucy greeted her friend in a dry yet casual fashion.

"I'm guessing everybody's already inside" she murmured, "good...let's get the meeting underway." Just as Lucy tries to enter the building, the tall boy suddenly blocks her. Five times over, she tried to move passed her friend...and five times over, he still blocked her way.

"What's going on, why are you blocking me out" she asked, "I'm gonna be late for the meeting." Upon saying this; one of her other friends, a glasses wearing Goth named Boris, suddenly popped up. "Sorry, Lucy...but I'm afraid we must ask you to leave" he murmured, "this meeting is for members only."

The young Goth felt both insulted and confused by her friend's statement. "What are you talking about, I _am_ a member" she grumbled, "I have been since last year..._I_ was the one who created it!" With that statement, the other club members informed Lucy that she was thereby banned from the Mortician's Club.

To add salt to the wound, they also revealed that her position as leader was refilled by someone else. Upon looking inside, Lucy could see Haiku sitting within her seat at the table. "Why that vile little traitor" she growled, "let me in there, she and I have some business to discuss!"

Alas; her entry was denied, once again and the boys quickly escorted her off the grounds. Confused, angry and betrayed; Lucy trudged her way back home, all while waterfalls of tears were running down her cheeks. But almost ten seconds later, her sadness gave way to full-blown anger.

"I'll just go home and hang out with Fangs" she muttered, "but the others best stay out of my way...or else!"

(scene change: Downtown with Luan)

Normally; Ms. Luan Loud is seen as a peppy, goofy, energetic gal full of bad puns. But today, she was _not_ in a funny mood; which was a side of her people seldom saw. _"The nerve of my sisters getting uppity with me"_ she grumbled to herself, _"I make one or two jokes to help lighten the mood and everybody has the stones to call _me _stupid?!"_

With so much frustration welling up inside of her, Luan was in need of a good joke or something to take her mind off things. Then, much to her surprise; she spotted something at the bus stop that made her squirting flower spin. It was young Benjamin "Benny" Lewis, a fellow jokester and Luan's boyfriend.

With a blissful sigh, she skipped her way merrily towards him; eager to share her anguish with someone. "Hi, Benny; it's so nice to see you" she breathed dreamily, "I could use the company of someone I can trust, right now." Much to her surprise, Benny simply turned his head up and walked away; giving Luan the cold shoulder.

Confused, the young comedienne chased after him; all while calling Benny's name. "Sweetie, what's wrong" Luan asked worriedly, "why won't you talk to me...did I do something wrong?" At that moment, Benny's stride suddenly halted; which almost caused Luan to crash into him.

Then, he placed his backpack upon the ground and began to fish his hand around inside of it. In time, Benny found what he was searching for and brought it out; a marionette dressed in pink Victorian English-style clothing and a pink hat. Luan recognized this to be Mrs. Apple Blossom, Benny's personal ventriloquist puppet (much like her Mr. Coconuts.)

"I'm afraid Benjamin isn't in the mood for chatter, at the moment" Benny said through his puppet, "rather...he's not quite in the mood to speak with you at _all_, as it seems." Taken aback by such a response, Luan questioned on why Benny was acting this way. "From the moment he met you; Benjamin presumed you were a kind, loving and amusing kindred spirit" listed Mrs. Apple Blossom, "but recent events have shown us otherwise."

With that said, Benny carefully placed the puppet back into his backpack and walked away. Meanwhile, Luan remained frozen where she stood; both from shock, distress and most importantly, confusion. What sort of "events" was Benny (or Mrs. Apple Blossom, as the case may be) talking about?

With the prospect of chatting with her boyfriend now a bust, Luan decided to turn to the one place that could cheer her up, Funny Business. "Funny Business Inc." was a joke shop Luan helped sponsor through her many entertainment gigs, party appearances and most importantly, it was also her armory for pranking. "Maybe they have someplace in mind for me to perform at" she murmured hopefully, "since it's Spring Break, there will be parties and what's a party without a clown?"

With this in mind, she strolled off on her way towards the joke shop. There, she saw the manager talking with a delivery truck driver. Upon inspection, Luan saw that the truck was filled with hundreds of stink bombs. _"With that many bombs, I could leave the house smelling like a manure pile for the entire summer"_ she thought to herself while wringing her hands together, _"better yet...I could fill them all with perfume and leave it smelling like lilacs for that long!"_

To her, the latter idea felt more "hilarious;" mainly because of how much she knew Lana and Lynn despised the smell of perfume. "It would be the perfect revenge weapon against those gals" she murmured sinisterly, "in the end, victory won't be the only thing _smelling sweet!_" After letting out a hearty laugh, Luan's eyes darted around; hoping to see someone laugh at her poorly conceived pun.

Alas, she was met with only stone-cold silence around her. While grumbling bitterly at the fact no one could hear another one of her "joke gems," Luan trudged her way over towards the shop. But when the manager caught sight of her, he suddenly grew hostile.

"What are you doing here, Missy" the man grumbled, "come to buy more of my products for your next 'Prank-Pocalypse?'" Luan was rather surprised by his tone, as well as him speaking so bitterly about one of her prank sprees. "Sir, my April Fools Fest is over for the year" she stated, "I want to know if you have any gigs booked for me...I need something to take my mind off some home-related stress."

Upon hearing her talk about "stress," the manager almost ripped his hair out by the roots. "You are in no position to talk to _me_ about stress, young lady" the man roared, "_I'm_ the one that's been having real stress here!" After this, he brought out a business sales chart and presented it to Luan.

The girl was surprised to see that profits have taken a dangerous nosedive in the past few days. "As you can see here, Ms. Loud, sales are falling faster than a team of clowns on a wet floor" he grumbled, "and don't you _dare_ take that as a joke, this is serious!" Hearing her benefactor speak to her this way truly shocked Luan.

In the past, the man always greeted her jollily and with a smile. But something about the poor sales brushed that side of him away and replaced it with a sort of...incredibly livid "shock jock" sort of behavior. "I understand you're stressed, Sir; I really do" she murmured softly, "but why take your anger about bad sales out on _me?_"

As a response, the man brought up her "Prank-Pocalypse" endeavor again. "Not only have you been using _my_ merchandise to terrorize your family" he roared loudly, "but your actions have also broken several rules of comedy; the biggest one being that when pranking, _never...ever_ put the lives of others at risk of physical harm!"

Upon hearing this; Luan realized that the nature of her pranks must've somehow, reached her benefactor's ears. "With all due respect, Sir; you don't know my family" she retorted as calmly as she could, "I've been doing this to them for years and yet, they're still alive and kickin' now." Despite the casual nature of her words, they only seemed to make the man angrier.

"Full-body waxing, mass water bucket dumps, hiding booby traps in your own house...and Lord only knows what else you plan for your family" he muttered in disgust, "how is _any_ of that meant to make them laugh...TELL ME?!" In that moment, something inside Luan snapped. The stress she endured at home, Benny deciding to distance himself from her and now, her benefactor insulting her "comedic methods" helped push Luan over the edge.

"DON'T YOU GET IT, YOU FAT MOOK" she roared suddenly, "OTHER PEOPLE AREN'T SUPPOSED TO LAUGH AT PRANKS, PRANKS ARE ONLY MEANT FOR THE _PRANKSTER_ TO ENJOY!" After this, she flew into a full-blown tirade; going on about how if people felt upset over a prank, they simply didn't "understand the joke's subtlety." "There is nothing subtle about the things you do, Luan" muttered the manager, "you go over the top with every 'joke' you do!"

While still feeling rather bitter about the present situation she was in. Luan still found enough nerve to look the man in the eye and say "when it comes to comedy, you either go big...or go home." As if by some sort of ironic turnaround, the shop manager glared at her firmly and told her to head off for home.

With a vicious scowl on her face, Luan put her foot down and proclaimed she would not move an inch. "You may not be giving me any prank products, for some reason" she muttered bitterly, "but can you, at least tell me of any gigs set up for me!" Without saying a word, the manager marched through the front doors of Funny Business.

Upon his return, he had a tremendous amount of pink rejection letters in his arms. Then, he unceremoniously dumped the papers down at Luan's feet. One of these, after being caught in the breeze, smacked itself against Luan's face.

After reading it over; Luan's jaw dropped so low, it almost fell from her face. "This...This was my gig for that big end of the year party in June that was planned for my homeroom" she gasped, "wha...why would they turn me down?" She turned towards the store manager, hoping he would give her an answer.

But instead, he gave her a small smile and a sort of "isn't it obvious" look. Luan groaned softly at this and began fishing about the papers for at least, _one_ place that still wanted her to entertain. Alas; every establishment in town that hired her, every family that booked her to perform even the children of some of these families sent her the same notices.

"THIS IS RIDICULOUS" Luan shouted, "CAN NOBODY IN THIS TOWN TAKE A STINKIN' JOKE?!" Upon hearing her outburst, the manager began to feel rather worried. _"This girl is obviously off her rocker"_ he thought to himself, _"I dunno if I should call the police or the paddy wagon!"_

At that moment, Luan turned to face her benefactor; her teeth clenched so tightly that the brackets of her braces came close to popping off. "Luan...don't look at me that way" he begged her, "I mean it, head on home and relax...or I'll be forced to get drastic." Luan remained undeterred by his threats and soon, she began to stomp her way over to him.

As she approached her "former confidant," Luan suddenly filled the squirt tube of her flower with ghost pepper hot sauce. It didn't take long for the manager to realize that she intended to use that on him. Feeling rather nervous of the situation, the store manager swiftly made good on his earlier threat.

With lightning speed, he suddenly drew out a squirting flower that was as large as a stop sign. Attached behind it, Luan spotted a fire hose; one used by party clowns for joke firemen skits at parties. "Just turn around and go back home, Ms. Loud" the manager said firmly, "I have a squirting flower loaded up with 10,000 gallons of water and I'm not afraid to use it!"

Scoffing slightly at his warning, Luan gave the pump in her right hand a squeeze and a droplet of ghost pepper sauce was sent flying out of her flower. The drop struck the man on the cheek and the resulting splat caused a small speck of the sauce to hit his left eye. This little bit was just enough to leave the poor fellow in a considerable amount of pain.

As he reached up to wipe at his eye, the hose fell out of the man's hand. Once it hit the floor, the collision caused the nozzle to suddenly turn on. Afterwards, the hose began to flail about wildly; blasting gallons of powerful water blasts will-nilly.

When the water stuck at the area around them, it resulted in tremendous amounts of collateral damage. It tore apart/dug up numerous parts of the ground, peeled way parts of the Funny Business building's paint and shattered many windows; scattering glass all over. This didn't even included the other damages caused to other buildings that neighbored Funny Business.

When she finally snapped out of her angry state and saw what she had done, Luan chuckled sheepishly and proceeded to slink away as quickly as she could; hoping no one would follow her.

(Scene Change: Loud Residence, a half hour after the sisters have departed)

Coming down the eastern edge of the neighborhood was a large, black van. On its side, the words "Royal Woods Child Protective Services" were shown in bold white lettering. From out of the van, a team of figures in suits approached the house and knocked on the door. After doing so for three consecutive times, there was still no answer.

"They must not be home, ma'am" one of the male agents informed his leader, "perhaps, we should wait 'till they come back?" The lead agent quickly dismissed the idea, insisting that the family being away would be the perfect opportunity to mount an investigation. With that in mind, the agents proceeded to assault the door more roughly.

After several minutes of shoulder-slamming, pounding and even kicking the door; their commotion quickly caught the attention of much of the neighborhood. Among the onlookers; Bud Grouse, the Loud Family's neighbor on the eastern side of their property, came bursting through his front door. "LOUDS, KNOCK OFF THAT RACKET" he fumed angrily, "SOME OF US ARE TRYIN' TO REST!"

This outburst quickly caught the agents' attention and they briefly ceased hitting at the door. "Sir, return to your home" the leader said calmly, "this is a matter of government business." Upon hearing this, Mr. Grouse suddenly began to chortle loudly. "The government, eh...about time ya came here" he stated, "I always knew the Louds' nonsense would ruffle ol' Uncle Sam's feathers eventually."

At first, they all presumed this man to be nothing more than a disgruntled old codger who was angry for little to no reason. But the moment he mentioned the Louds, they believed he might be of some help. After taking the time to collect herself, the lead agent cleared her throat and approached Mr. Grouse.

"So sorry to disturb you, Sir" she said humbly, "my name is Agatha Greenwood, I am here with my associates from Child Protective Services answering a call from the Royal Woods School District Administration Office." Though he didn't quite understand what was going on, Mr. Grouse still did his best to be respectable. "What can I help ya with, Missy" he asked, "if you're from Social Services, I'm guessin' you're plannin' on separating those rambunctious Loud kids."

Ms. Greenwood was taken aback by such a brash assumption but chose to disregard it, for the moment. "Actually...while my business _does_ involve the Loud Siblings, it's actually for something else entirely" she stated, "on that note, could you help us by answering a few questions?" Once again, Mr. Grouse was uncertain on how to answer...but decided to continue in being respectful.

After almost a half hour's worth of discussions, Agent Greenwood and her team thanked Grouse for his cooperation and went on their way. "Oh...one last question, Sir" she said suddenly, "because of the thoroughness of our investigation, we are required to investigate the Loud House premises. But..." With a soft, knowing smile; Grouse gestured at a bench seated on the front porch.

"There' a key hidden there that Lynn made for emergencies" he stated, "or...whenever one of his kids are sneaking back into their house after being gone most of the night." Once again, the agents thanked Mr. Grouse for his assistance and went on their way. Upon finding the key, Agent Greenwood unlocked the door and slowly opened it.

What they found inside was a sight they were not expecting. Every inch of the inside was coated in garbage; from the dining room, the living room, the kitchen and even the stairs. "Okay, everyone; let's split up and investigate" Greenwood murmured, "Mathers; you, McKenzie and Dayton go upstairs and look around...the rest of us will work down here."

The team nodded in unison and immediately went began their investigation. As Mathers and his team made their way upstairs, he was suddenly pushed back; when something came flying at his face. Had it not been for McKenzie's reflexes in catching him, he would've fallen down all the steps.

Upon recovering, he saw what it was that came at him. It was a medium-sized black bat and it suddenly came flying out of one of the bedrooms upstairs. "Guess what Chen said in her memo was right" Mathers muttered to himself, "this family _is_ hoarding wild animals in this place." Agent Dayton simply scoffed at his comrade, insisting that it was just one bat.

The moment the group reached the top of the stairs, however; Dayton quickly regretted his words. For coming out of one of the bedrooms before them, the team could see scores of animals rushing out in an alarmed frenzy; possibly disturbed by their presence. Upon seeing these animals, Agent Mathers took out a clipboard and began checking off each one he found there.

"Let's see...we saw the bat, just a moment ago" he muttered softly, "here...we got a pig, some rodents (squirrels, rats, mice etc.,) there's a frog, a few lizards, there's that snake..." As the man continued his checklist, Agent McKenzie suddenly started scratching herself all over. "Agent, what is the meaning of this" grumbled Mathers, "this is no time for dancing!"

Upon hearing her superior's concerns, McKenzie insisted that she wasn't messing around. "I feel like something is...crawling all over me" she shrieked, "get it off...GET IT OFF OF ME!" After bouncing and flailing about wildly, something suddenly flew out of the agent's left sleeve and landed atop of Mathers' nose.

Upon inspection, the team discovered that it was a flea. "It must've crawled into your clothes when you weren't looking" Mathers shuddered loudly, "put this thing in a jar...a baggie or _something!_" As the agents began to store the flea away, the snake suddenly grew defensive and lashed out at Agent Dayton.

The man was so surprised by this sudden ambush that he began to stumble backwards. Only to realize too little too late that he was edging towards the steps. With an alarmed yell, Dayton fell backwards and stumbled down every step; before crashing at the bottom painfully.

Thankfully enough, the man was unharmed; a little dazed and mildly sore from the fall...but no injuries were sustained. Then, as he bent over to dust off his pants, there came a vicious growl and something suddenly bit Agent Dayton hard in the rear. The poor man could only run about the room, screaming painfully; wondering what had caught him.

When he looked over his shoulder, Dayton saw a small dog attached to his rear end. He was relatively small with white fur and a black circle around his left eye. But despite the animal's size, it still had a powerful bite.

"Having wild animals in the house is one thing" wailed Dayton while trying to pull the dog off of him, "but how can this family afford to feed them _and_ this pup?!" Upon asking this, the agent suddenly tripped over himself and fell to the floor. There, he met with the family's other "house pets;" a cat, a yellow canary and a hamster inside of its ball.

"_More_ pets" cried Agent Dayton, "this is unreal...it can't be legal to have _this_ many animals in one home!" As Agent McKenzie rushed down to aid her colleague, Mathers resumed his investigation upstairs. What he found there were things neither he nor anyone else expected to see within a household.

The first room he looked into was the one that the bat flew out of. There, he saw that it had been divided in two. On the left side; the room was decorated in what looked like macabre and Gothic apparel. The covers of the bed were a blackish-grey, it had a sunbrella that was black as pitch, a matching black blanket and the sheets were also a blackish-grey.

"Whoever sleeps in this, they must be a horror fan" muttered Mathers, "but why is it only _this _side that looks this way?" With this question in mind, he turned his attention towards the right side of the room. Unlike the one half; _this_ side appeared relatively normal.

When he saw the pennants, posters and stickers exclaiming the words "go team" upon the wall; he could tell whoever slept here must've been a sports fan. Then, he caught a glimpse of a newspaper cutout hanging on the wall as well. After squinting his eyes, Mathers saw that the article read "Lynn Loud Jr. Takes Home Game Trophy, Wins Football Season."

Upon reading the words "Lynn Loud," the man's teeth started to clench. "So, _this_ is the Lynn Loud everyone talks about" he growled softly, "_this_ is the girl responsible for putting my Amy in a leg cast, after that game!" Upon thinking this, Mathers' mind suddenly flashed back to after the football game.

(Flashback: Several Months Earlier)

_ It was a brisk November afternoon and everyone from both Royal Woods and Hazeltucky gathered at the field to watch the big Football game. It was the fourth quarter of final game of the season. Score was tied, two minutes left on the clock and both teams were on their last bursts of energy._

_ That is to say, _most _of the players on both teams were almost tapped out...save for two of them. On the Royal Woods side, Lynn Loud stood on the field with her teammates, pumping her fists and dancing about wildly. Many of the Hazeltucky players wondered why she was doing this._

_ Then; Mathers' daughter, Amy let out a laugh and told her teammates not to worry. "Loud's just doing another one of her dumb 'good luck rituals'" she scoffed softly, "said that unless she does at least _one _per game__, the 'Sports Gods' will curse her and cause her to lose." Upon hearing the mention of "sports gods," the entire Hazeltucky football team suddenly burst out in mocking laughter; which helped reignite their desire to win._

_ Meanwhile, Lynn growled viciously at her opponents; clearly infuriated with how Amy was insulting her good luck rituals. Then, as if on cue; Amy turned towards her opponents and began to do a mock version of Lynn's dance rituals. While she did this; the girl also rolled her eyes, flailed her arms and wagged her tongue stupidly as well._

_ Finally, after she stopped dancing; Amy turned towards the Squirrels team and proclaimed "newsflash, Loud; it takes _skill and intelligence_ to win at sports...not dumb superstitions!" That was it; for Lynn, that insult was the final nail in the coffin. With her fists clenched tight and her face scarlet with rage, she vowed to make the girl pay._

_ At last, the time came for the final play to go underway. After shouting the necessary signals, Amy was given the ball and raced towards the goal with all the strength she could muster. But she failed to notice the enraged girl with a ponytail chasing after her._

_ Faster and faster did Amy run, up to the point where she felt her heart would burst from her chest due to pushing herself too hard. But her efforts were worth it; for up ahead, she could see the goal just twenty yards away. _"Push it, Amy; you can do this" _she thought to herself, _"just a little bit more and you'll win this!"

_She was no more than ten yards away from the goal when it happened. Without warning, Amy suddenly heard a noise that sounded almost inhuman. It sounded like a combination of a lion's roar, a walrus' grunt, the T-Rex roar from Jurassic Park and the screams of a dozen boy band fanatics. Despite the unholy nature of the noise, Amy still continued on._

_ But no sooner had she heard this noise, Amy's world came to a crashing halt (quite literally.) Before she could react, the poor girl was suddenly hit from behind by what felt like a rocket-powered battering ram. But in truth, it was only Lynn Loud; whose mouth was frothing madly with the desire to take the ball from Amy's hands._

_ After both players fell hard onto the ground, the ball flew freely up into the air. Not long after; Lynn quickly recovered, snatched the ball back and ran as fast as she could towards the other goal. Alarmed by this turn of events, much of the Hazeltucky players desperately tried to stop her from getting even remotely close to victory._

_ But despite even having much brawnier players attempt to stop her, Lynn simply plowed past them like a rocket. With ten seconds left on the clock, one last player leapt at her and grabbed hold of her legs; causing Lynn to fall. But at the same time, exactly _where_ she fell was yet to be determined._

_ As the buzzer sounded off loudly, signaling the end; the referee rushed onto the field and analyzed the players' position. Upon doing so; he could see that just before she fell, Lynn managed to land the back end of the football over the goal line. "The ball is in the goal" cried the ref, "victory goes to Royal Woods!"_

_ Upon hearing this declaration, Lynn proceeded to whoop loudly in victory; all while doing her "_"_Lynn-er, Lynn-er, __chicken dinner" victory dance. "WE WON THE GAME" she exclaimed with great joy, "HOPE YOU ENJOY EATING CROW, LOSERS! WHOOO!" After that, her team proceeded to hoist her up in the air proudly and carry her off to the sidelines._

_ But while __they__ celebrated, the Hazeltucky team lamented in their loss. Normally, they accepted losing with a smile and a "that was a great game" attitude. But when it came to Lynn's overzealous and often obnoxious behavior, all those good vibes quickly died out._

_ However; at the moment, the loss of the game was the least of their problems. Soon, they realized something might've happened to their captain after getting sacked. With that thought in mind, they quickly rushed to her side; only to find Amy clutching at her leg painfully._

_ When he saw his daughter in such a state, Mathers quickly rushed down onto the field. "AMY! Baby girl, are you alright" he asked with worry in his voice, "what happened?!" While still in great pain, Amy moaned softly and gestured at her leg. "I think I hurt my leg when I fell, Daddy" she said in a pained voice, "tell me the truth...how bad does it look?"_

_ After moving her hands away, Mathers got a better look at his daughter's leg. There was a large mark on the knee area and it looked incredibly swollen. Fearing the worst, he quickly called out for the crash cart at the top of his lungs._

_ "Somebody come here and help my girl, now" he roared, "get the crash cart...she needs medical attention!" Soon after saying this, a pair of men arrived at the goal line with a stretcher and helped the girl onto it as gingerly as they could. Afterwards, she was quickly rushed off the field; giving the Hazeltucky coach the opportunity to call dial 911._

(Back to reality)

As the memory slowly faded away, Agent Mathers suddenly began seething with rage. "Because of that little bitch, my Amy's got a busted leg and has to be wheeled around for six months" he growled under his breath, "the worst part is...Loud's team _still_ won the game, even after this happened!" Normally, some parents would look at a player injuring themselves during a game as a typical situation for football players.

But in this case, Mathers felt that there should've been an exception. Not only had Ms. Loud injured _his_ child but the behavior she displayed on the field during the game showed that she had little regard for such things. The worst of it all was the fact Lynn Jr. wasn't punished for the injury either with disqualification or being sent to the office.

"If nothing else gets this family in trouble...I'll make sure they suffer for what that brat did to you, Amy" he seethed bitterly, "I swear it!" With that, Mathers turned slightly and prepared to exit the room. But then, he suddenly tripped over something and fell unceremoniously onto his face.

Upon hearing the collision, Agent Dayton (who recovered from his own earlier spill) rushed into the room. "Sir, are you alright" he asked worriedly, "what did you find?" Mathers only offered a soft groan, in response and did his best to slowly get back onto his feet.

"Sakes alive" he moaned loudly, "what the hell did I just trip over?" As soon as he got back onto his feet, Mathers looked down and saw what caused him to stumble...a large coffin. "What the...WHAT IN THE ACTUAL HELL IS A COFFIN DOING IN HERE" he cried in alarm, "who does it even belong to?!"

As Agent Dayton began to inspect the coffin, he found the letters L.L. inscribed in gold lettering beneath the lid. "Fat lot of help this gives us" grumbled Mathers, "except for the mother, everybody else in this house has the initials L.L." Then, at that moment; Dayton observed all the Gothic things on the one side of the room closely.

Upon doing so, he saw that each item also had the same initials on them and in the same lettering. The only thing offering any real clue on the girl's name was a diary of poems. At first, Dayton hesitated; thinking it rude to peek into a girl's diary.

But with the urging of his superior officer, Dayton quickly did as he was told. As he skimmed through the book, each poem the agent read seemed more depressing and cynical than the last one. But one poem in particular truly made the agent's blood run cold.

Each word he read seemed to viciously tear at each one of this girl's other sisters. Much of the text included terms that he was surprised a girl this age even knew about. "Whoever this L.L. girl is, she has some _serious_ issues to work out" he muttered in disgust, as he put the book into an evidence bag; "no normal child should have a coffin in their room."

After that, he joined Agent Mathers in the next bedroom in the hall. One side contained a small baby's crib, which seemed relatively normal. While the other side had a sight neither he nor Agent Mathers expected to find; a collection of lab beakers, vials and chemicals.

"This is..._this is outrageous_" Mathers shouted, "how could anyone have such dangerous materials this close to an infant's bed?!" Upon observing the right side of the room, Agent Dayton spotted several ribbons and awards for scientific achievement. "Well...despite the careless way this person organizes her things, they certainly are quite the prodigy" Agent Dayton muttered "wonder who won these?"

Upon saying this, he spotted an award featuring the child's name in question; Lisa Loud. "Lil' Lisa...yeah, I remember her" he chuckled, "she helped tutor my son for his finals, last year." He took a moment to observe all of Lisa's awards, wondering how lucky the family must've felt having a genius in their home.

"Before you start singing the gal's praises, Dayton; come into the bathroom" Agent Mathers said suddenly, "there's something you should see." A split second later, both agents regrouped in the bathroom; where Agent Mathers discovered a series of hidden cameras. One was a near microscopic camera hidden beneath the shower head.

The second was hidden beneath the windowsill. But the third camera was in a place neither of them expected, the toilet's water tank. "Why on earth are there so many cameras in here" exclaimed Agent Dayton, "just how paranoid are these people?!"

For what felt like hours, the agents searched every nook and cranny of the house for evidence of shoddy living conditions; which...wasn't very difficult to find. "Be thankful that the family isn't home yet" muttered Agent McKenzie, "otherwise, this job would be even harder than it already is." However, little did they suspect that there actually _was_ someone present on the premises; during their search.

(Scene Change: The Loud Residence, Lisa's bunker)

As we leave Luan and the agents behind for the moment; our tale takes us to Lisa Loud, the family genius. With her family causing such a ruckus, she could barely focus on her work in her room; especially during one of Lily's crying episodes. Said episodes had been going on without end since the whole fight started.

This time, however...it seemed as though she might've been crying about something else. But even with her vast amounts of knowledge, she couldn't decipher what it was. Her only option left for solitude was her bunker, something she personally built to wade out Luan's April Fools frenzies.

But for today, it was her own little sanctuary; the one place that offered her peace and quiet. Before entering; she decided, albeit reluctantly, to bring Lily with her. After all; with much of her family gone at the moment, someone needed to watch the baby.

After momentarily silencing Lily with her favorite binky, Lisa sighed blissfully and quickly began her work. As she sat at the table, scribbling away in her notebook; Lisa began to bitterly grumble about the sibling quarrel going on. "It's a miracle that my family units haven't destroyed the house with their immature behavior" she muttered to herself, "why must _I _be the only one with any _real_ common sense and intelligence within the household?!"

Hoping it would get her mind off things, Lisa pulled over a collection of beakers and vials; poised to create some sort of mixture. "Now that I have some time to myself, I can continue my experiments for a stench removal spray" she murmured softly, "I will finally have a defensive weapon to help protect me from Lynn's accursed Dutch Ovens." With that, she proceeded to mix up several containers of chemicals or minerals together _veeeeerrrry_ carefully.

For almost forty minutes, Lisa's solitude went undisturbed and this was something she warmly welcomed. But then, her laptop suddenly began to buzz loudly; which meant that a new e-mail must have arrived in her inbox. "Perhaps it's a notice telling me that my curable disease samples are set to arrive soon" she giggled giddily, "I cannot wait to start my experimentations!"

However, the moment she opened up her e-mail account; her joy quickly faded away to confusion. Instead of finding a delivery notice, the latest e-mail on her account was sent by a university she had been eager to visit. She opened it, expecting to read a notice saying how eager the faculty was to meet her.

But much to her shock, this was the message the university had sent her.

_ To Miss Lisa Loud_

_ For months, we had been eager to meet the infamous child genius of Royal Woods. Your achievements and the awards you have received for them have certainly piqued our interests. But then; it has been revealed to us by Miss_ _Margaret Chen, the superintendent of the Royal Woods School District, that many of your experiments involved _LIVING TEST SUBJECTS_!"_

Lisa briefly stopped herself from reading further and took a moment to gulp down a nervous lump in her throat. While typing up her entrance note for the university, she presumed that the science faculty would applaud her successful tests on living subjects (namely her siblings, neighborhood children and/or the family pets.) Alas, it seemed that she had grossly miscalculated; which was a rather rare occurrence.

As her stomach continued to tie itself in knots, Lisa continued to read the e-mail.

_What we also find questionable, Ms. Loud is your often flagrant disregard for the emotional and/or physical well-being of those around you. Not only do we find your use of security surveillance and...placing trackers on your loved ones to be a tremendous invasion of privacy. But the...samples you have sent us are...shall we say, not what we were looking for._

This particular part of the notice caused Lisa to grow very nervous. _"Why would they fault me for _that_"_ she thought to herself,_ "everything I use those cameras for is for the benefit of my family and science!"_ What she read next truly felt like she was being punched in the head. Needless to say; the words "self-obsessed," "narrow-minded," "arrogant" and "immature" were used quite often in the next few paragraphs.

In the end, it was the final statement that truly shocked her.

_"With all of this in mind and with so much negative evidence against you, you've left us with little choice but to deny your entry into the university. Perhaps, one day...when you have grown up a little more and have matured enough, we may welcome you then."_

_ Sincerely,_

_ Dean Jacob Rathborne, head of WestCoast University_

_ P.S. We extend the best of luck to your parents, as they try to raise you into becoming a more respectable woman of science._

After reading the notice; Lisa, her face blank with shock and alarm, closed out her account and closed her laptop shut. For what felt like ages, she hadn't spoken a word; the only sounds that could be heard were those of Lily suckling on her pacifier/binky. Then, ever so slowly; Lisa's demeanor changed into a look of blind fury.

"Normally, it is beneath me to engage in inane human emotions" she muttered, "but in this case...RAAAAAAAH!" In a matter of moments, Lisa unleashed her rage by leveling anything and everything within the bunker. At the same time, the many sounds of crashing and things breaking caused Lily to come out of her nap.

Within seconds, the wee babe suddenly let out wails so loudly; even the bunker doors found it difficult to muffle out the noise. In an instant, Lisa quickly ceased her rampage and glared down at her little sister. "As your elder sibling, I command you to _cease that noise_" she roared loudly, "if you don't, I shall be forced to take drastic measures!"

Not long after saying this, she rushed over to a shelf of beakers; ones that contained an odd series of multicolored liquids. Upon reaching the shelf, she snatched one up that bore a deep purple color and snickered madly. Meanwhile, above ground; the Child Protective Services agents had just finished combing the house over.

They swiftly stepped out of the house, each one of them large loads of items from there (which they planned to use as evidence for their case.) "Looks like that takes care of the house, everybody" Agent Mathers sighed, "though, I still don't have much love in saying this; I'd say this mission is..." Before the agent could finish his statement, he and his team suddenly heard a voice screaming from close by.

Without a moment's pause, they hurried over to the source of the noises; a large underground bunker. "What the...Why does the family have something like _this_ here" pondered Agent McKenzie, "for that matter, how can they afford to have it built, support their children and all the animals they have?!" Soon, the other agents began to wonder the same thing.

Then, the loud noises sounded off again; this time, Agent Dayton could tell it was the sound of a baby crying. "Why would a baby be in something like this" he asked worriedly, "we have to help it." With that, they reached for the steel knob and prepared to twist it.

But the moment they did, there came a loud ringing sound; one almost as loud as an air raid alarm. This not only brought the agents great pain. But it also caused many people in the neighborhood, Mr. Grouse among them, to rant angrily about the racket it caused.

Finally, after seven second, the ringing ceased...but the sounds of a baby crying didn't. Then, the hatch door opened and out popped Lisa; whose eyes were bloodshot with rage beneath her glasses. "WHO DARES TO TRESPASS UPON MY BUNKER" she demanded menacingly, all while waving the beaker of fluid about.

Upon seeing the beaker of chemicals in her hand, Agent McKenzie presumed the girl to be dangerous and took immediate action. After distracting her with a set of jingling keys (which, due to Lisa's frazzled state, worked like a charm;) the woman swiped the beaker away from her and held it high in the air. Meanwhile, Agent Dayton peeked inside of the bunker and discovered that his hunch was correct; there _was_ a baby inside.

This sight coupled with the beaker of chemicals led the agents to one conclusion, the girl wished to harm the baby. "This is...This is obscene" cried Agent Dayton, "where are this girl's parents during all this?!" Seeing that she was the only child present at home, the agents decided to ask Lisa where her family was.

"How am I supposed to know that, I have better things to focus my attention on" she grumbled, "I could offer the use of my tracking chip system...but _no,_ my family demanded that I shut it down!" Upon hearing this statement, the agents were even more horrified than they were earlier. "What...Why would you chip your family" gasped Agent Dayton, "don't you know that it's both inhumane and an invasion of one's personal privacy?!"

With a vicious scoff, Lisa said she didn't care for such things. "In the pursuit of science, one must always go above and beyond" she decreed, "and if that means invading my family's privacy or harvesting their organs for study, so be it; it's not like that matters in the grand scheme." That was it, _that_ statement was what the agents needed to close their case.

"Young lady, I'm afraid you and your sister will have to come with us for a while" murmured Agent Mathers as he approached Lisa "until we find your parents and/or your siblings, you'll be under _our _supervision." Feeling threatened, Lisa took the beaker that was in her hand and threw it at the agent. At the last second, Mathers ducked and the beaker sailed over his head.

Within seconds, the beaker struck a new target; a woman who was walking her dog. As the chemicals spilled on them; the dog barked angrily, while the woman seethed with annoyance. "Darn kids and their water balloon fights" she shouted, "I got half a mind to...to call...caaaaww..."

Within seconds, both the woman _and_ her dog yawned loudly before falling into a deep sleep. Soon after, the agents looked down at Lisa and questioned her on the beaker's contents. "I am uncertain if it's any business of _yours_" she replied rudely, "but if you _must _know, it was a highly experimental sleeping serum...one that I spent _months_ toiling over and you three ruined it!"

Utterly offended by her brash language, the agents demanded to know if she planned to use it on the baby. "Again, I don't see how that is any business of yours to know" she muttered bitterly, "but I needed some way to test it...and ceasing my sister's bothersome wails was the perfect reason to do it!" Once again, the agents felt highly offended by her reply and decided to take action.

While Agent McKenzie marched into the bunker to retrieve the baby, her partners remained behind to deal with the young "genius." As Mathers plucked her off the ground; Lisa demanded to know what the meaning behind their actions were; all while flailing madly in his arms. "Just who in the name of Einstein do you three think you are" she grumbled, "I have half a mind to report you to the authorities!"

With this statement, the agents reached into their jackets and drew out their badges; proclaiming "we _are_ the authorities, young lady...and you're coming with us!" Upon seeing the Child Protective Services logo on their badges, Lisa's anger quickly gave way to nervous fear; thinking she might be in trouble.

(Line Break)

Incidents such as these occurred all over town for each of the sisters. On the second day of break, Lana found herself openly shunned by her mentors at the auto shop. The one who hit her the hardest was her crush, Skippy.

Meanwhile, Lola thought about visiting the local stadium to practice for the upcoming Miss Spring Blossom Pageant. She had hoped that being around her fellow competitors would get her mind off of things going on at home. But when she arrived, the leader of the pageant informed Lola that she had been banned.

To add further insult to injury, the host added that she was thereby banned from all state pageants until further notice. Elsewhere, Lori was trying to get in touch with some school friends; hoping that discussing plans for break would take her mind off of her stress. But with every name she called up, Lori discovered that she had either been blocked or her calls went straight to voicemail.

"UGH! I literally can't deal with this crud right now" she seethed bitterly, "maybe checking out my Social Media page would help clear my head. With this thought in mind, Lori pressed her thumb on an icon and a blog page suddenly opened. Upon entering said page, she proceeded to write a post on her wall.

"'OMG! So angry today because of crazy family'" she muttered while typing, "'wishing I could leave college sooner...or that I was an only child...' POST!" Once her status statement was posted, Lori sat back slightly and let out a small sigh; feeling mildly relieved from getting that thought off her chest. While she rested, Lori waited for the "likes" to pour in for her post.

But as time passed, she didn't hear any chimes on her phone (which signaled that someone may be "liking" her post.) "What is wrong with people" she growled, "venting posts are literally one of the best ways to get likes or sympathy comments online!" With a bitter huff, she picked up the phone and checked to see why no one "liked" what she wrote.

Instead, what she found was a large series of angry comments from people on her list. Many of said comments ranged from "I'm blocking you from my phonebook," "don't sit with me at lunch anymore," and "you're the absolute worst." To add fuel to the fire, Lori saw that her number of online friends took a tremendous nosedive.

Soon, her hundreds of followers dwindled down to only _one-_hundred (which to her, felt like a huge loss.) "WHAT THE "H" IS GOING ON HERE" roared Lori, "why have all my friends betrayed me like this?!" Deciding to look for answers, she took a peek inside of Carol Pingrey's page.

What she found there almost caused her to drop her phone. "What the...WHAT IS _THIS_" she shouted, "I gotta show the family this immediately!" With that thought in mind, she sent a mass e-mail to each of her sisters; hoping that at least, _one _would open it.

Afterwards, she fell back onto the couch and heaved a deep sigh; clearly confused by what she saw.

(Scene Change: Dowtown Royal Woods)

As time passed; on the third day of break, a young lady, in another part of town, sat in her room and was happily strumming a little tune on her guitar. Her name was Sam Sharp and she was one of the best musicians in Royal Woods...next to a certain someone she knew. As she sat on her bed, gazing at a picture of Luna Loud for musical inspiration; Sam's mojo was suddenly disturbed by the sounds of joyful shouting.

"YEAH, THAT WAS THE BEST CONVENTION EVER" a young voice exclaimed, "I can't believe he signed my book _and_ let me take a picture with him too!" As the boy continued bouncing about excitedly, Sam could only grumble with mild annoyance at the sudden interruption. "Simon, do you have to shout so loudly" she murmured, "I was in the middle of a jam!"

The young boy, known as Simon, slowly walked into the bedroom; his head hanging low with shame. "Sorry for disturbing you, Sis" he muttered, "I just had so much fun today." Upon seeing the look of genuine regret in his eyes, Sam accepted his apology and hugged him lovingly.

"So...tell me about the convention" she asked eagerly, "did you see anybody cool?" Upon being asked this, Simon showed him his comic book; which bore a signature in black sharpie on the cover. "Cool, you got your book signed" she said with a smile, "that might be worth something, you never know.

Then, as she looked at the signature again; Sam felt that there was something familiar about the name. Upon looking at it more closely, she suddenly spotted a familiar name; "Loud." _"Loud...that's my girl, Luna's family name"_ Sam thought to herself, _"could it just be a coincidence or..."_

Curious to learn more, Sam asked her brother to see the picture of him with the man who signed his comic. "No, Sammy; he's not a man" giggled Simon, "he's a boy, just a little older than me." No sooner after saying this, Simon took out his phone and showed his sister the picture.

"He asked his friend, Clyde to take the picture of us together; after he was finished signing autographs" Simon said giddily, "it was so cool meeting him!" Sam smiled warmly at her brother, happy to see he had a lot of fun. Then, when she saw the picture appear; she gasped loudly.

Standing beside Simon and other Ace fans his age was a young eleven year old with white hair and buck teeth with a little chip in them. The moment she saw this boy, Sam couldn't help but think that she had seen him from someplace. Then, realization suddenly struck her like a flash.

"I know this kid...Luna showed me a picture of him, once" Sam blurted out, "yeah...it was on a family picture they took; this is her baby bro!" Upon having this revelation, Sam chuckled and muttered how her girlfriend never told her she had a famous brother. "I gotta give her a call and tell her about this" she murmured joyfully, "she's gonna flip."

Just as Sam brought up Luna's number and prepared to hit the speed dial button, Simon quickly stopped her. "That's not a good idea, Sammy" he said warily, "I heard from one of his girlfriends that he's...been going through some stuff at home...at least, that's what one of the older girls said." This sudden reveal caused Sam's thumb to freeze in place; just as it was inches away from pressing speed dial.

"Wait...what's going on with Lincoln" she asked curiously, "and...what's this about 'older girls,' Simon?" At first, the boy hesitated; fearing that if she heard the story, Sam would think he was just making it up. But then; he remembered his mother always telling him to go for help, whenever he saw people in trouble.

With that in mind, Simon took a seat on a bean bag chair in Sam's room and sighed. "Before I tell you this stuff, Sammy...promise me that you won't get mad or think I'm lying" he begged softly, "please?" While a little surprised by her brother's words; she still promised to be respectful, nevertheless.

"Okay, Sammy; get comfy" Simon murmured, "'cause what I'm about to tell you is wild."

(scene change: Luna's bedroom, that same afternoon)

While most of her sibs decided to step out and cool off, young Luna Loud chose to stay at home with her music. Whenever she felt stressed, bummed out or sad; she could always count on her tunes to help put her mind at east. This time however; her mind was so frazzled, she could barely focus.

Anytime she tried to strum a simple melody, she'd strike a chord out of tune. Each time it happened, she assumed her guitar needed "fine tuning." Unfortunately, she did this so many times that one of the strings snapped. "DANG IT, WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH THIS STUPID THING" Luna roared loudly "I'VE NEVER HAD THIS KIND OF TROUBLE BEFORE!"

In a fit of rage, she suddenly chucked her guitar across the room; which slammed hard against Luan's ventriloquist dummy, Mr. Coconuts. At first, Luna feared she might've badly damaged the dummy. But then, her earlier anger towards her sister quickly overwhelmed her concern.

"Who cares if that dummy is broke or whatever" she mumbled, "the less I hear Luan's stupid jokes through Mr. Coconuts the better!" As Luna sat down on her bed, her cellphone suddenly started to ring. She looked over at the screen of her phone and saw Sam's picture on it, which made her smile slightly.

_"Good ol' Samurai, my beautiful blonde bombshell"_ she thought happily, _"maybe a good chat with her will help lift my spirits."_ As she reached over for her phone, a strange sensation suddenly washed over her. _"If I didn't know any better...I'd say that I'm starting to sound like Lori when she thinks of Bobby"_ she murmured to herself, _"next thing I know, one of us will start calling the other 'Boo-Boo Bear.'"_

For the first time in a while, Luna found herself having a genuine laugh; which felt good to her. She then believed that Sam calling her was a sign that things were going to be okay for her. Sadly, what happened next was something no one was prepared for.

"Hey, Samurai; it feels like forever since I've heard your voice" she said joyfully, "how's Spring Break been workin' for..." Before the pixie-cut rocker could continue any further, the other end of the line suddenly erupted in a flurry of angry screams. To outsiders, it all sounded like excited yet muffled chatter.

But to Luna's poor ears, she heard Sam say things she wasn't prepared for. "Whoa...Whoa there, girl; easy does it" Luna said as calmly as possible, "start up from the beginning again and...try not to talk so fast." Soon after saying that, the chatter continued much less frantically.

That being said, what Luna heard next from her lady friend took her completely by surprise. Her expressions changed rapidly, during the conversation; from confused, to shocked right down to outright flustered. "WHOA! Slow down a tad, luv" she murmured calmly, "what's got you so strung up?"

Before her girl spoke up, Luna pressed the speaker button on her phone; so that she could hear her more clearly. _"My brother just got back from the Ace Savvy Convention and said he saw your brother there"_ Sam's voice explained, _"seems your bro has gained quite a fanbase with his own Ace stories."_ Upon saying this, Sam went on to ask Luna if she heard about the "Full House Gang?" "I think so" Luna muttered hesitantly, "those are the characters my bro and Clyde made up."

It was then that she remembered what inspired them to make those characters...or more specifically, who. Each member of the gang was based on her and the rest of her siblings. "All due respect, luv...what does Lincoln's comic have to do with our conversation" questioned Luna, "did your bro come dressed as one of our characters?"

As a response, Sam e-mailed a picture of Lincoln at the convention with Bill Buck. In said pic, Luna saw that Lincoln was being handed a large wad of cash. "What the...why's he gettin' that money" she exclaimed, "did he sell something there or what?" The moment Luna learned of Lincoln's financial success through his comic, her eyes almost popped from her head.

_"I can't believe you have such a successful brother in your family, Luna"_ Sam stated, _"but what I really can't believe is what Simon told me about what's been going on at your house!"_ What followed after this was a heated discussion between the two young ladies. Overtime; it got so fierce on the other end, poor Simon had to clasp a pillow over his ears to block out the noise.

Sam fiercely scolded Luna for letting her anger get the better of her and put her own brother at risk. Desperate to remain strong, the latter gal shot back by saying that Lincoln was supposed to stay out of the way; whenever the protocol was in affect. "Last time he tried to fix things, it only made things worse" Luna grumbled, "little dude's gotta learn to butt out sometimes."

Unfortunately for her, this kind of talk only seemed to make Sam angrier. _"HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT ABOUT YOUR ONLY BROTHER"_ she roared loudly,_ "he was only trying to help knock some sense into you and your dumb sisters!"_ To say that Luna was shocked by Sam describing her sisters that way would be a gross understatement.

But before she could make any kind of retort, Sam started up again. This time, her tone sounded softer and distressed; almost on the verge of crying. _"It really...really hurts me to do this, Lunes; it honestly does" _she choked out, _"but until this family drama of yours is settled or until my loving Purple Pixie comes back...I think we need some space."_

Hearing these words come out of Sam hurt her worse than an electrical shock. Although it wasn't, technically her wanting to break up; it certainly felt like it. After that; Sam sniffled, murmured a soft "I love you...I'll miss you" and hung up the phone. After that, all time in Luna's world suddenly stood still.

Then, overtime; Luna suddenly heard her phone chime. This same thing happened with each and every one of the other Loud Sisters at their respective locations. When they picked up their phones, they discovered that Lori had sent them an e-mail.

At first, none of them bothered to open it; believing that it was another LoriXBobby tribute pic, video or who knows what else. But overtime, everyone relented and quickly opened it up. What they saw _was_ a picture...but not of their sister and her boyfriend.

Instead; it was a pic of Lincoln, at the Tranquil Springs Spa and surrounded by ladies (some of them many of the girls immediately recognized.) "What the...what are Cici and Phoebe doing at the spa" muttered Lynn in disbelief, "and why are they there with _Stinkin'_, of all people?!" As if they weren't flustered enough; when each of the girls looked down at the comment section, their collective anger almost boiled over (except for Leni, it took a while for it to happen with her.)

"That little rat" roared Lola, "we're all ripping each other apart and _he_ gets to hang at the spa...I'M GONNA KILL HIIIM!" Just then, another picture appeared; one of Lincoln accepting his royalties for the Checkmate comic series he wrote. Underneath it were words from an Ace Savvy website's newsfeed stating "Grade Schooler Honored at Con."

When Lisa read this, she felt beyond outraged. "WHY ON EARTH WOULD THEY HONOR THAT TWIT" she seethed bitterly, "SO HE WROTE SOME SILLY COMICS..._I _CAME CLOSE TO ACHIEVING PERPETUAL ENERGY, WHERE ARE _MY _ACCOLADES FOR _THAT?!_" Upon hearing the girl insult her brother's achievements, Agent Dayton unceremoniously stored her inside of the van.

"You should be proud that your brother is getting recognized for doing something constructive" he said firmly, "I think it's praised well earned." Alas, the child genius was still not convinced; further proclaiming that anyone who reads such stories are "lack-witted knuckle-scrappers who were holding civilization back from greatness." Upon hearing her insults; Agent McKenzie sent a glare Lisa's way that was so cold, it actually made her shiver.

"I'll have you know, lil' missy that I've been an Ace fan since 1978" she said proudly, showing off an Ace Savvy t-shirt beneath her suit. "I would've gone to that convention myself with my daughters, who are also fans...But instead, I'm stuck dealing with you and all this nonsense." Sensing his partner's dismay, Agent Mathers patted McKenzie comfortingly on the shoulder and smiled.

"Don't worry, partner" he said sympathetically, "maybe the kid could sign one of these Full House Gang books for you guys." Lisa let out a sheepish chuckle and tried to "save herself" by mentioning that she was the inspiration behind Card Counter. "Perhaps...you could lighten my sentence because I'm 'part of the story'" she murmured, "maybe just a little?"

Without missing a beat, the three agents responded with "not a chance" and drove off with Lisa in tow.

(Line Break)

After a brief montage of the agents arriving and picking up each of the girls at their current locations, the van arrived at the Child Protective Services building. There, each of the girls received a respective scolding from the agents. "You girls are in a whole mess of trouble for what you've done" growled Agent Mathers, "destruction of public property, multiple counts of disturbing the peace, reckless endangerment of a minor/family units, willfully harming a school student, illegal animal ownership...take your pick."

After the agent had finished, not one of the sisters dared to speak up. At the moment, they were either too scared or too frustrated to say anything. Upon seeing their collective demeanors, Agent McKenzie decided to be the "good cop" to her superior's "bad cop" and speak with the girls calmly.

"Look, girls; we're willing to work with you here" she offered kindly, "if you cooperate and willingly admit your mistakes, we can try and help bring down your punishments in court." Upon hearing the "C" word, Leni and Lola began to shiver fearfully. Lynn meanwhile, decided to go her own way and scoffed at the agents.

"Look, you Men in Black dropouts; we've had a rough week...alright" she grumbled, "so don't try and make us pee our pants with your 'scare tactics,' go ahead...do your worst, nothing you've got can compare to what _we've _endured!" While the agents fumed slightly from the young jock's words, her sisters simply facepalmed in annoyance; thinking she'd just made things worse. Then, at that moment; Agent Mathers suddenly started chuckling, which confused the girls.

After calming down, he decided to reveal what was so "funny." "Y'all think _we_ are the ones who are gonna punish you" he sniggered, "nope...sorry, somebody else has that position covered." At that moment; there came a loud "boom, boom, boom" outside the door.

In Leni's mind, she presumed that someone was bombing the place. But upon listening closely, the girls' faces went pale. "Uh...Leni, those aren't explosives going off" shuddered Lori nervously, "those are footsteps approaching." No sooner had she said this, the office door suddenly swung open; revealing the shadowed figures of the girls parents, Lynn Sr. and Rita.

As Leni waved hello to them sweetly, everyone saw a blood-red glow in their parents' eyes; which meant only one thing...that they all truly were all in deep, deep trouble.

(AN: WHOOO! Several days, 15,000 words and almost fifty pages later *in terms of Microsoft Word pages;* this chapter is now done. Sorry for taking so long with this, everyone. But I wanted to make sure each sister got a respective slap in the face/kick in the rear from Karma, not just for this story's events but for all the ill actions they've performed in the actual show.

Soon to come, the Loud Sisters head to the park with their parents; where they'll find a little surprise waiting for them there. What will happen next, stick around for more)

(Second AN: Karmaic is an actual term, meant to describe "the present state of Karma. In the midst of Karma's wrath as resulted from a person's actions and conduct during the successive phases of the person's existence." Just thought I'd point that out, in case people are confused by the title)

(Third AN: Some might read this and presume that some of the girls may be acting out of character; namely Luan, Lynn and Lisa. But bear in mind, they're STILL stuck in this protocol nonsense. As such, their minds are still overwhelmed by emotions and their hearts are equally overwhelmed by anger.

In such circumstances, anger makes us say and do rather stupid stuff. Plus, if the theories are true; Luan, Lynn and Lisa may secretly be...emotionally/psychologically unstable. As such, it was only a matter of time before they went THIS nuts)


	11. Chapter Eleven: The Foot Comes Down

The Foot Comes Down

For most of their lives, the girls have faced their fair share of trouble for their actions. With every fight, every instance of rough-housing, every argument they all had with one another; their parents always punished them accordingly. Said punishments were relatively bearable, however; groundings, being sent to bed without supper, losing phone/TV/internet privileges, losing chances for fun outings etc.

But at this very moment; as their parents loomed over them with eyes blazing red with anger, the girls felt like they would soon be on Death Row. With but a simple gesture, the Loud Parents ordered their daughters to head straight for the van. Not wishing to get them any angrier, the girls did as they were told without any backtalk.

The drive back to the house was no better either, much to their fearful displeasure. During the entire trip, no one dared to utter even a single word. Even Lily felt too afraid to say a simple "goo-goo," despite not being in trouble.

Finally, when they arrived; Rita uttered but four small words, "girls...living room..._now!_" This caused all ten girls to let out a started yelp in alarm. Without missing a beat, they ripped open the door of the van and hurried into the house; not wishing to anger their parents further.

Moments later, everyone sat in the living room in a deathly silence. The only sounds that could be heard were that of a ticking clock, the pets scratching any itches they had or the soft patter of fingers tapping. Then, all of a sudden; Luan began to grow paranoid with the lingering silence.

Sweat dripped slowly from her forehead, her breathing became soft yet mildly frantic and she began biting down her lip so hard, it looked as though she were eating it. _"It's so quiet...so tense"_ she thought to herself, _"is _this _what the family feels like when they're waiting for my pranks to happen...if so, it's terrible!"_ Finally, after the clock ticked four more times; Luan snapped and fell to her knees in a pleading position.

"I CAN'T TAKE THE SUSPENCE ANYMORE" she wailed loudly, "GO AHEAD, PUNISH US; WE KNOW WE DID YOU GUYS WRONG...just...just get it over with." The girls all collectively groaned at their sister's weakness and facepalmed themselves irritably, all while muttering the words "ah, dang it." But much to their surprise, they suddenly heard their mother laughing softly.

"Punish you...really" she asked in a rather surprisingly sweet tone, "now, girls; why would I _ever_ want to punish you?" Her husband, Lynn also began to exhibit this kind of oddly naïve behavior. "Agreed, honey...what _possible_ reason could we have to punish you all" he murmured in the same sweet tone, while tapping his chin in thought; "oh...wait, there is _one_ thing that comes to mind."

With that said, his expression suddenly shifted from chipper to bitter in a blink of an eye. Then, he suddenly went into the kitchen and when he came back; he had a newspaper in his hands. With an angry grunt, Lynn Sr. proceeded to gently yet firmly throw it atop of the coffee table; showing off he front page.

When the girls took a look at the article, their collective faces turned white with fear. For on the front page, in big bold lettering, were written these words; _**"Local Boy Confesses History of Family Abuse to the Public!"**_ The Sisters didn't know whether to feel angry, confused, alarmed, betrayed or some odd mixture/combination of all of them.

Before they could make even the smallest comment about this, the girls' mother quickly spoke up. "Looks like you girls made the news, this past week" she muttered venomously, "got anything to say for yourselves about this?" With this statement, Lori was the first to spoke up; despite her throat feeling rather constricted with worry.

"Mom...I speak for us all that we couldn't have foreseen something like this happening" she mumbled, "I mean...we've all been literally dealing with a lot of stress and..." The moment Lori said this, Rita started laughing again in that oddly sweet tone. But the girls knew that when someone does this, it's a sign that meant they were in deep doo-doo.

"Oh! You girls are stressed, huh" she murmured inquisitively, "well...I'm here to tell you that you don't know _THE MEANING OF THE WORD!"_ No sooner had she screamed; she slammed her fist so hard upon the table, the resounding vibrations violently shook their pets. "It's bad enough we've bail you out from the fuzz..._again_" Rita grumbled, "but after what your father and I have been through, your 'stresses' are like small potatoes in comparison."

Upon hearing this, the girls' earlier fear and mild anger quickly gave way to concern. "Mommy...what's wrong" questioned Lola, "what happened to you guys today...besides the obvious." After each of them let out a heavy sigh, Lynn and Rita began to recount their own stressful chronicles.

"To start things off, let me ask you girls something" questioned Lynn Sr., "do you recall what happened at my restaurant, the day after your little...tiff got started?" After each of them gulped nervously, they answered with a small and silent nod; bitterly remembering exactly what happened on the day in question.

(Scene Change: Lynn's Table, the day after the sisters' fight began)

It had been only a day since Lori's loss to Carol at the golf course. But the moment they returned home, she and Leni went into a full-blown fight. As we recall in previous chapters, this one quarrel led to the remaining four pairs of sisters to start fighting as well; not to mention force Lincoln to leave his own home.

As the fighting grew more and more hostile by the hour, Lynn Sr. (albeit nervously) asked the girls to assist him at his restaurant; hoping the work would bring them together peacefully again. Alas; this would be a decision he'd come to regret, very soon. No sooner had they began working in the kitchen did things quickly started to fall apart.

Even while they worked, the girls _still _continued with their fighting. Within moments; they were either waving sharp kitchenware threateningly at one another, attempting to hit each other with pots or pans or using produce (which Lynn used for ingredients) as food fight weapons. Soon, the entire kitchen transformed into a war zone and Lynn tried his darndest to keep everything in order.

Meanwhile, patrons outside of the kitchen area could overhear the sounds of their fighting quite clearly; which made their dining experiences difficult to enjoy. Then, without warning; a glob of food stuffs came flying out of the serving window (or whatever that little window thing between the eating area and kitchen is called.) This glob then struck a woman hard in the face, causing her to spill her beverage onto her child.

_This _incident then led to the child crying loudly with displeasure (as one would expect.) Upon hearing the commotion; two of Lynn's other staff members, Kotaro and Grant, rushed outside to try and calm everyone down. Alas, their efforts did little to help with the situation; as the fighting in the kitchen suddenly became more severe.

Finally, one of the patrons threw his napkin on his plate angrily and left the restaurant in a huff. "THIS IS THE WORSE SERVICE I'VE EVER HAD" he shouted, "I'M GOING TO JEAN JUAN'S, EVEN IF I HAVE TO WAIT ALL NIGHT FOR A TABLE!" Upon hearing these words, Lynn rushed out towards the doors and blocked the way.

"Now, Sir; I know things seem...out of sorts right now" he chuckled timidly, "but...I can assure you, Lynn's Table is all about fine dining and good..." At that moment, there came a loud crash from inside the kitchen; which was followed by the loud rushing sounds of water. Soon after, the kitchen doors flung open and a large rush of dirty sink water came flowing into the dining area like a mini tidal wave.

It proceeded to wash over several tables, knocking many patrons from their chairs. While those who sat in booths saw the dirty water land onto their food, thus tainting it. This was the final push the other patrons needed.

Soon, they came pouring out of the restaurant in droves; muttering loud obscenities about how poorly their dining experience went. For Lynn; the worst part wasn't the water damage, the loss of his ingredients, the broken sink or the fact that the day's dinner rush stormed out. The worst of it all was, due to them leaving so suddenly; none of the customers left tips behind...let alone paid their bills.

In the end, Rita forcefully escorted the girls back into the van; while Lynn made a call for the repair man. When he arrived and saw the damages, the repair man had no choice but to call for backup. For Lynn, this meant that the repairs would cost a large sum of cash to be done properly...which it did.

It took the men all night and into the morning to fix everything...but they did it. Unfortunately, such circumstances forced Lynn to dip into his "cooking funds" to repay them; which was money he used to restock his stores of ingredients, meats, veggies, fruits and other supplies he needed. After the repairs were done, Lynn thanked/paid the repair men and headed for home; deciding to take the day off and relax after the previous day's stress.

At least...he was _hoping_ to have a peaceful day off, when he returned. But what he got instead was his daughters going at each other's throats..._AGAIN!_ It took all the patience, optimism and good humor within Lynn to endure most of the day; while all this went on.

But when it became too much to bear, at one point; he decided to try and relax in the garage while listening to some rock music (something that always helped calm his nerves.) A half hour later, Lynn sat in the driver's seat of Vanzilla; jamming to some rock n' roll music on the radio. Then, he suddenly felt his cellphone vibrate; which snapped him out of his relaxed state.

With a disgruntled groan, Lynn picked up his phone and saw that it was Kotaro calling him. "Hey, dude; thought you'd be chilling at home today" he said with a slight yawn, "what's happening?" What followed was Kotaro speaking almost a mile a minute on the other end, which almost overwhelmed Lynn.

"Whoa...Whoa! Easy does it, buddy" he said calmly, "take a deep breath and tell me calmly what's going on." Soon after that, Kotaro's face appeared on the screen of Lynn's phone; indicating that he must've turned on the webcam function on his end. Before anything else could be said, Kotaro showed Lynn the front entrance of his restaurant; which was being tapped off by men in suits.

(Back to Reality)

After Lynn abruptly ended _his_ half of the tale, he took out his phone and showed a picture Kotaro took of the restaurant to the girls. What they saw was the front door of the establishment bearing several large posters upon them. After tapping the cellphone screen to zoom in, Lori got a look at what the poster said.

**Notice of Closure**

"By order of Mayor Davis and the Royal Woods Health Department, this establishment has been dubbed guilty of several health, work environment and/or safety violations. Until these issues are remedied; it shall be, henceforth closed down. The establishment's staff and all other citizens are prohibited from entering or approaching the area until the mayor deems said establishment safe, once again. Any violation of this warning shall be met with police action and a substantial fine.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Upon reading every word of the notice, Lori now understood her father's anger. That restaurant was his life's biggest dream; next to playing the cowbell professionally on stage at a concert, of course. But because of all of them, he lost it (though...not forever, just temporarily.)

"I've worked and _slaved_ for months, learning all the basics of fine restaurant cooking under Sergei at Aloha Comrade and helping him with customers" he sobbed softly, doing his best to hold back tears; "I worked tirelessly to gain the money needed to buy and remodel the old building...and now, just as quickly as I've gained my dream; I've lost it!" In that moment, the cold chill of guilt washed over the Loud Sisters. Lori and Leni, in particular felt especially ashamed; considering that it was _their_ actions that sparked the entire fight.

Once Lynn's story came to an end, the poor man fell back onto the sofa and unleashed waterfalls of tears. Soon after, Rita rushed to his side and did whatever she could to soothe him. Eventually, Lynn calmed down enough to look his daughters in the eye and sneer with disappointment.

"It wasn't just me that was affected by your actions either, girls" he grumbled, "your mother's also dealt with her own share of distress lately. Feeling too nervous to speak up, Lola gave her mother a look that seemed to ask "what happened?" Upon seeing this look; Rita ceased patting her husband's shoulder, grabbed her purse, brought out her phone and brought up an image.

When she showed it to the girls, some of them didn't have a clue as to what they were looking at. "This is the appointment log for Dr. Feinstein's office where I work" she stated, "now...can any of you girls tell me what's wrong with this picture?" Upon hearing this question, Leni automatically assumed they were playing a sort of "guessing game" (sort of like those types where you find the object that doesn't belong.)

But before she could utter a word, her sisters quickly silenced her; reminding their sister that now wasn't the time for her to show off her "Leni-ness." After almost half a minute of thinking, all the girls came up blank. "I do not see much of anything amiss, Mother" Lisa muttered, "the entire log is utterly blank."

Upon hearing this, Lori couldn't help but mentally groan with dismay. _"THAT'S EXACTLY THE POINT, BRAINIAC"_ Lori mentally yelled, _"I swear, Lisa...you may be a genius but you're dumb when obvious things are right under your nose!"_ Alas, the wee genius will come to realize this truth too little too late.

With a disgruntled groan; Rita, who was teetering on the brink of a mental breakdown, decided to spell it out for her daughters. "Sweetie...there's a reason that the log is blank" she said with a forced smile and a twitching eye, "it's because...THERE AREN'T ANY APPOINTMENTS RECORDED IN IT!" Upon hearing this revelation, the girls let out a collective shock.

"But...But why would people do that" questioned Luan, "Dr. Feinstein is a great dentist, he's the one that gave me my braces." In response to her inquiry, Rita revealed that _she_ was the reason the appointments got cancelled; not the doctor. "Thanks to all the news being reported about us, people are too afraid to let me work on their teeth" she stated, "they're saying 'if Loud can't help care for her own family, how are we supposed to trust her with our dental health?'"

At the end of the story, Rita revealed that Feinstein put her on temporary leave until "your mess is straightened out." Afterwards, the girls felt as though their entire world ended. Not only was their father jobless but their mother was as well.

With these circumstances in mind; they were left wondering how their family would be supported, if none of them could work for the money they needed. "I know, why not ask Lincoln to lend us some money" Leni chimed in softly, "according to the link Lori sent to all of us, he got a lot of it for his coloring book." The moment she said this, several of the Loud Sisters' faces blazed red with anger.

"Don't you _dare_ bring up that twerp's name in this house anymore, Leni" growled Lynn, "_he's_ the reason all this is happening to us in the first place!" In an instant; Lola, Luan, Lori and even Lisa suddenly shouted in agreement. "That little weasel is always causing us problems, even when he's not at home" Lori fumed, "he runs out of the house like a coward, goes off to who knows where for days and the next thing I know; I discover this!"

She then takes out her phone and shows her parents images on Carol Pingrey's social media page. At first, they tell her that now wasn't the time for such things. But then, Lori told them to look and see who was featured on the pictures. Reluctantly, Rita relented to her daughter's wishes and looked at them.

There, she saw what looked like Lori's friends from school (or former friends, at the moment) at the spa. She also saw what looked like some girls in Lincoln's grade present. Finally, she saw what Lori wanted her to find.

At the center of the picture with several of the ladies coddling him was Lincoln, whose face was coated with lip gloss marks and bore a silly squiggly grin of bliss. "Huh...Mrs. Pingrey told me that Lincoln would be attending the spa with her daughter and some of their friends" Rita said with a soft smile, "looks like he had a great time." Lori was aghast by her mother's reaction, how could she seem so pleasant about what she saw.

"How can you say that, Mom" she shouted with confusion, "he's been living it up while _we've_ been suffering here at home!" With an indifferent look upon her face, Rita revealed she already knew about Lincoln's exploits. "While you girls have been ripping each other apart, the parents of Lincoln's new friends have been looking after him for us" she stated, "they say he's been a true gentleman towards the ladies."

Just then; Lynn Jr. prepared to, once again badmouth Lincoln and place blame for their current situation on him. But her father quickly stopped the young athlete in her tracks and directed her attention to the newspaper article. Upon reading it, they saw images of his body (which was halfway covered in sunburn) that were taken by security cameras at the Tranquil Springs Spa.

Beneath it was a statement from the spa's owner, Fernando Gutierrez; which read _"before his recent visit, I have not seen or met the boy before. But my staff tells me this Lincoln Loud was quite a good boy."_ Lynn muttered softly under her breath, whispering how Lincoln must've done a lot of brown-nosing to get on his good side.

As the statement continued; it went on to describe Fernando's horror, when he learned of Lincoln's near full-body sunburn. The next statement in the article was by a man named Randy, which caused Lola to suddenly sweat nervously. _"Things started out very well, I was styling the lil' man's hair and we were chatting casually with each other; loads of fun"_ Randy's statement read, _"then, when he told me he was from the Loud Family; I was beyond shocked!"_

As the article continued; Randy went on to tell the press of how Lola, Lincoln Loud's little sister, once bit him on the wrist. "HOLD ON! In my defense, that man did little to help me prepare for a pageant I was entering" Lola shot back, "everything he did just made me look frumpier and frumpier!" These words, much to the wee "princess'" dismay, did not earn her any sympathy from her parents.

All she got from them was a vicious glare that seemed to say (or shout) "NO EXCUSES!" Upon seeing this look, Lola's earlier demeanor gave way to fear and she huddled herself beside a couch pillow for security. After that, Rita opened the paper and showed them something that almost made Luan's heart stop.

It was a picture, albeit a playing card-sized one, of her benefactor from Funny Business. What truly caught her attention was his right eye, which had become incredibly red and swollen. "Luan...says here that you assaulted your employer at Funny Business with hot sauce from your squirting flower" grumbled Lynn, "is this true?"

At first, the young comedienne considered either lying or holding her tongue. But then, she decided to weigh both options; if she lied...her parents would be _beyond_ miffed. But if she decided to keep quiet, she shuddered to think what they would do to make her talk.

In the end, she did something rather unusual (even for her;) she decided to have someone _else_ talk for her. In the blink of an eye, she collected Mr. Coconuts from her backpack and placed him on her lap. At first, the other nine sisters considered scolding her for being "silly" at a bad time.

But then, Lynn Sr. suggested that Luan might've "needed help" in saying what she needed to and decided to allow this course of action...for now. "So, Luan...care to explain what happened with your boss" prodded Rita, "care to explain why you assaulted him after he punished you for a legitimate reason?!" For the longest time, no reply came; which made the Loud Parents rather antsy.

Then, Mr. Coconuts' head popped up and he said "IT'S 'CAUSE THE DAME'S PLAIN CRACKERS!" Now, everyone (except for Leni, mostly) knew that it was Luan's own words coming out of Mr. Coconuts' mouth. But many realized the puppet was often used as a...crutch of sorts for her to speak her innermost thoughts.

But when the Loud Family heard Mr. Coconuts call Luan "crackers," they were incredibly surprised. Unfortunately, the dummy was just getting started with his lashings. "We go to the joint to see if there's any work for us; ya know, to help us forget the stress at home" explained Mr. Coconuts, "when the big boss tells us that sales have been goin' sour, thanks to my braindead bimbo of a partner here!"

The family was shocked and appalled to hear Luan speak so viciously about herself, to say the least. "That still doesn't explain why his eye looks like this" Lynn said matter-of-factly, "did you have something to do with it?" Once again, through Mr. Coconuts; Luan went on to describe how she flipped out at her benefactor.

"Then, just when ya think it couldn't get much worse...it did" Mr. Coconuts grumbled, "the boss hands us loads of papers showin' that every gig we had planned to entertain for up and cancelled on us!" This reveal caused the family to actually feel a twinge of pity for her. But that quickly changed, when Mr. Coconuts delved more into the story.

"Rather than walk away all peaceably, this broad here snapped quicker than a twig gettin' stamped on by a squirrel" he groaned with shame, "she uncorks her squirtin' flower, loads it with hot sauce and fires a small 'warning shot' at the bossman's face!" With this reveal, the family found themselves swept up in a raging torrent of emotion. They didn't know whether to be angry, ashamed, horrified, embarrassed or some combination of _all of them_.

Needless to say, Luan knew she was in trouble. But in spite of that, she still confessed to everything she did. "The moment the drop of hot sauce hit him, a tiny bit of it flew into the boss' eye" Mr. Coconuts explained, "in spite of that; when the bit hit him, he cried out in pain and dropped the hose he was holdin' on to." It was at this point that, thanks to the photos in the paper, her parents were able to put the pieces together.

"What you did, young lady is worse than _any_ form of April Fools pranks you've pulled" Rita seethed bitterly, "it's even worse than the 'Paint the Town Red' idea you came up with, back in 2008!" Luan felt herself shrinking with every harsh word her mother said. Over the years, people have asked her "why do you go so far with your jokes and pranks?"

As a response, she would use the same words she told her boss earlier at Funny Business. But looking back, using phrases like "go big or go home" or "the pranks are only meant for the prankster to enjoy" actually sounded really stupid. Finally, as Luan lowered her head in shame; Mr. Coconuts glared at her with his wooden eyes and said "ya screwed up, ya dumb clown."

Next, Lynn Sr. and Rita directed their ire towards Lynn Jr., who was sweating like she ran a thousand marathons. "Before we start, young lady; I gave your latest trophy to Agent Mathers, when we went to pick you girls up" Rita explained, "after learning what you did to his daughter...well, it wasn't much but it felt like necessary compensation." Upon hearing this, Lynn Jr. felt beyond outraged and was prepared to let her folks hear it.

But when she saw the fire in her parents' eyes, she quickly shut herself up. "Lynn...we know you like to push yourself and try to be the best" Lynn Sr. muttered, "in fact, it's one of the things I find most admirable about you." Hearing her father say this caused the young jock to lower her guard a bit.

Unfortunately, she realized too late that he wasn't done with her yet. "That being said, don't think for a second that we didn't notice how aggressive you can be on the field at times; regardless of the sport" Lynn Sr. said firmly, "when we heard what happened to his daughter during the football game, last November...we didn't know _what _to tell him!" When the Loud Parents saw the confused looks on their daughters' faces, they knew they all needed an explanation.

With that, Rita showed them a picture of a girl in a wheelchair with a cast over her left leg. "This, girls is Amy Mathers" she stated, "she is Agent Mathers' daughter...and was one of the players for the Hazeltucky Football team during the game." The girls nodded slightly in understanding and then, Lola asked what happened to Amy's leg.

"Seems your sister got a bit too rough with her" Lynn Sr. grumbled, "when she fell to the ground, after Lynn tackled her; the fall sprained Amy's leg!" There was a mixed reaction from the girls about this news. The younger ones, even Lily, grimaced loudly with dismay; hoping that Amy would be okay, in time.

Meanwhile, the rest were utterly disgusted with Lynn, while Leni needed some time to catch on to what happened. In the past; they've tolerated Lynn's bragging, her showboating, her smug attitude and even her immature victory dances. But then, there came moments where she acted in the most obscenely aggressive manner towards them.

Said attitude led Lynn to laughing at them, attacking them (verbally or physically) or even damaging their own property and not apologize for it (like how she often uses Lucy's Edwin bust as a football.) Of course; over the years, the girls and even Lincoln managed to find _some way_ to deal with it. But none of them imagined Lynn would act this way towards other people.

"This isn't the first time your actions have injured a player during a game, young lady" Rita said in a scolding tone, "your father and I can't even _begin_ to tell you of all the lawsuits we've narrowly avoided, over the years due to your actions!" This reveal lead to all the girls swarming Lynn and demanding to know what went through her mind during incidents like the one with Amy. But despite it all, she still answered back in her typical brash and indifferent manner.

"I don't see what the big deal is" she yawned, "people get rough, when they play football or _any_ kind of sport and they also might get hurt...that's how it's been for ages." To add further insult to injury for herself; Lynn mumbled "if you're gonna punish me for _that_, you may as well punish me for being a female football player." Naturally, her folks felt offended by her response.

"LYNN L. LOUD JR." her mother roared, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOTTEN INTO YOU BUT YOU DO _NOT_ SPEAK TO ME OR YOUR FATHER LIKE THAT!" The wee jock simply scoffed coldly at her mother and quickly used her own words against her. "What's gotten into _me_, I should be asking _you _that very question" she asked bluntly, "why are you two getting upset with me...with _all of us_...over something that's been goin' on for ages?!"

Up until now, the other sisters had remained quiet during this sit down. But after hearing Lynn's statement, they couldn't help but side with Lynn in her outrage. "Agreed, our quarreling has been occurring for approximately seventeen years and four months" Lisa surmised, "so...why choose to unleash your anger upon us this way _now_, when you've always reacted to our past quarrels on a...moderately restrained level?"

Before the discussion continued, everyone saw Leni struggling to understand the math Lisa presented. However, rather than try and help her understand (AGAIN;) the family decided to remain focused on the topic at hand. "It's true...over the years, we've done our best to discipline you all accordingly for certain actions" Lynn Sr. stated, "but the truth is...we've been unable to _truly_ be firm with you because we've always been afraid."

Upon hearing this reveal; several of the girls questioned what, exactly their parents were afraid of. To which, they responded by simply gesturing their hands their way. "As we said before, girls; you all can be quite unstable, at times" Rita confessed, "whether it's Luan and her overzealous pranks, Lynn's competitiveness...or even Lisa and her inventions."

For his part, Lynn also confessed how much of a miracle it was that he's remained mentally stable after raising all of them. "At first, we simply left you to your own devices; let you be who you are" the family patriarch sighed, "but it can get _incredibly_ overwhelming at times!" After this, for what felt like an eternity; no one had chosen to speak a word to anyone about anything.

The family found themselves, once again in a period of stone-cold silence. But then, almost seconds later; that silence was swiftly broken by the cries of lil' Lily. "CURSES! Here she goes again with her wailing" groaned Lisa, "the time has come for one of _you_ to try and soothe her...because I am at the end of my rope!"

Despite their arguing over the past few days; stopping Lily from crying too much was, at the moment, the _one_ thing they agreed upon unanimously. With that in mind, the girls and even their parents tried everything they could to calm her down. First, they assumed the obvious and checked to see if she required changing.

But much to their surprise, Lily's diaper was as dry as a bone. Then, they thought that she might've been hungry; which brought Lynn Sr. to collect some baby food he whipped up himself. But Lily refused every spoonful everyone tried to offer her.

For the next few moments, they did everything they could think of to try and cheer her up. Luna tried singing to her, Rita tried bouncing her on her lap for a "horsey ride," Lori tried flying her about like an airplane (only to end up with a face covered in spittle) and Luan and Lynn Sr. tried making funny faces. But with each thing they tried, they all ended the same way; with Lily wailing loudly.

It was then that everyone realized that this may as well have been one of those "babies sometimes cry for no reason" moments. But then, Leni (surprisingly) came up with an idea and quickly sprinted up the steps. "LENI LOUD, GET BACK DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT" fumed Lynn Sr., "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE ON THE COUCH WITH YOUR..."

His tirade came to a quick halt, when Leni suddenly returned to the room with something behind her back. When everyone demanded to see what she had, the second eldest sister smiles softly and revealed...a small stuffed bunny in her hands. In an instant; everyone recognized the doll as none other than Bun-Bun, Lincoln's favorite toy.

"Where did...Where did you find that, Leni" questioned her mother, "I thought Lincoln might've taken it along with him, when he left the house." In saying that, she realized that maybe he left it behind; fearing that others (namely his new friends) might mock him for having it. "I found it on his pillow, upstairs" Leni replied, "I figured...why not give _this _toy a try, since Lily didn't want the others."

The family couldn't help but gawk astounded at the young lady. In that moment, they were unsure of what shocked them more; what Leni said or the fact that it was _her_ who said it. Though it _did_ seem like a long shot of an idea, admittedly; the Louds all knew they had few other options to go with.

After exchanging a quick, unanimous nod; Rita took Bun-Bun in her hand and waved it playfully in front of Lily. "Don't cwy, sweetheart" she murmured adorably, "Bun-Bun's here and he's gonna make you feel all better." Suddenly Lily's cries died down slightly; just enough so she could look at the doll in front of her.

The moment she saw it; her face, much to everyone's surprise, lit up brightly with joy. Then; she proceeded to crawl towards the bunny, take it in her tiny arms and hug it lovingly. Everyone cooed softly with delight, while also mentally sighing with relief.

With the baby now satisfied, everyone came close to going back to yelling at one another. But then, Lily did something that took everyone off-guard. While hugging the stuffed bunny close to her; she looked at his small doll eyes, smiled and murmured "Wincoln."

At first, everyone simply brushed off the word as another piece of silly baby talk. But soon, Lily's cries gave way to giggles and she consistently said the word "Wincoln" in-between each laugh. As she sat there, watching her smallest daughter laughing; Rita tried her best to figure out what "Wincoln" is.

This thought seemed to be on everyone else's mind as well. Which felt a tad off, at first; it was rather rare for the whole family to collectively ponder on the same thing. Then, realization suddenly struck Lil' Lisa like a flash.

"Family, I believe I understand what is happening here" she stated, "but I will need something to test it." The moment she said this, her parents went ballistic; ordering her to never place Lily or _any_ of the family on one of her inventions again. "I can assure you, Mother; my test does not require one of my machines" Lisa assured, "instead, someone here must make a quick wardrobe change."

(Line Break)

A moment or two later, half of the family gathered outside of the bathroom; while Lisa (and one of the other sisters) remained inside...waiting. "Lisa, honey; how much longer do you plan to be" Rita called out, "I don't think Lincoln will like seeing Bun-Bun covered in baby drool." Upon hearing her brother's name, Lily let out a soft yet pleased babble.

Then, the door suddenly swung open and out came what looked like Lincoln...or rather, Lori _dressed_ like him. Though the family was rather surprised by this sight, it wasn't something entirely new to them. Long ago, each of the girls had to dress as each other; in order to cover for one another during certain moments.

What truly puzzled them was why Lori still had Lincoln's style of clothes and the wig. Regardless, Lisa was quite pleased that she still had them in her possession. "Now, let us see if my theory is correct" she stated, "go on...greet your sister."

Though she still felt uncomfortable in the outfit (emotionally speaking,) Lori went along with the plan and approached her baby sister. She had barely even taken too steps, before Lily suddenly started laughing madly and demanding (in her own way) to be let down. Confused, Rita played along and placed the baby onto the floor.

Afterwards, Lily proceeded to crawl like a rocket into Lori's arms and hug her tightly. Then, with a pleased giggle; she muttered the word "Wincoln," once again. Upon seeing the scene before her, Lisa leapt into the air while fist-pumping in victory.

"EUREKA" cried Lisa, "this proves that my theory is correct...as if I ever doubted myself!" The moment she said this, her family groaned loudly and demanded answers. "What did me dressing up like Lincoln have to do with your theory" Lori mumbled impatiently, "I can't be expected to do this forever."

Sensing her family's confusion, Lisa cleared her throat and cut straight to the chase. "It seems, my dear family that our earlier presumptions about Lily were incorrect" the wee genius murmured, "she was neither tired nor hungry nor wet or any of that...she simply misses our brother." Upon hearing this, Lynn Sr. and Rita gasped in shock; realizing that Lily must've felt lonely during Lincoln's absence.

Then, without warning; everyone suddenly heard Lana starting to cry. When they asked what was wrong, she simply replied "well...now; _I'm_ cold, hungry, tired and _I _miss Lincoln too!" The moment she said this; the lil grease monkey fell to the floor and began to cry pools of sorrowful tears.

Then, mere seconds after Lana started, Leni fell to her knees and started sobbing as well. "LINKYYYYYY! I MISS HIM SO MUCH" she wailed, "I WANT HIM TO COME HOOOOOME!" While this was going on, the rest of the other Loud sisters struggled with their own negative emotions.

Luna was overcome with a sense of shameful dread, Luan put on a sort of half-crying/half-laughing face (like Pagliacci) and though her bangs covered them; everyone could see waterfalls of tears fall down Lucy's cheeks. Meanwhile, the remaining four sisters seemed indifferent about the situation. "What's the matter, dudes" sniffled Luna, "ain't ya got anything to say about our bro bein' gone?"

Lori simply scoffed at her rocker sister and insisted there was nothing to say. "All that little runt did was get on my nerves, constantly annoy all of us and put my relationship with Boo-Boo Bear at risk" she grumbled, "I'm literally glad he's gone, to be perfectly honest here." The sisters who were weeping were shocked by Lori's response, while their parents were simply outraged.

"Look us in the eye and say that again, young lady" Rita said firmly, "tell us again how you think your brother ruined your life, as you claim?!" This was when she mentioned several instances she believed Lincoln "purposefully" ruined her life. Such moments included when he made Ronnie Anne cry, when he talked Lisa into dumbing herself down for "popularity's sake," having her work triple shifts just show his "friends" Chandler and his Crew free meals and then, there was the infamous "bad luck incident."

"That little wimp has been nothing but trouble for each of us since day one" growled Lynn, "he says he tries to help keep us together but ironically, all he does is cause us to fall apart!" Lisa couldn't help but agree with her elder sibling, despite not being a believer in irony. "Lincoln may be my brother" muttered Lola, "but Lincoln has caused me so much anger and stress, I worry about getting crows feet beneath my eyes!"

After everything had been said, the girls fell back into their seats and heaved out deep sighs of satisfaction; happy to have gotten all that off their heads. But then, the unexpected happened; when Leni slowly turned towards Lori...and punched her square in the face. This display left everyone completely stunned; mainly because it was Leni, the ditzy yet genuinely kind one, hitting Lori.

True; they've all roughhoused, wrestled and tussled with one another on many occasions. But the blow Leni delivered was something born from a feeling Leni never felt before; blind, unrelenting fury. After Lori fell back with a resounding "crash" against the trophy case, causing bits of glass to spill everywhere, she touched her cheek and discovered a bit of blood on her left palm.

"You...You just hit me...and you literally caused me to bleed" she seethed bitterly, a hint of betrayal lingering in her voice; "how could you?!" Leni scoffed at her sister's pain and simply muttered that she deserved the pain. "How could _you_ say such things about Linky" she prodded bitterly, "how could _any of you_ that...you should all be ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES!"

Once again, the family was left far too stunned to speak up due to this sudden change in behavior. Then, with looks of determination on their faces; Lynn Sr. and Rita decided to step up and join in on her side. "Your sister is right, girls...surprisingly" Lynn stated, "how could you say such horrible things about your only brother?!"

Having barely recovered from Leni's earlier blow and her crash, Lori could only stand before her parents in shamed silence. Not long after; Lisa, Lola and Lynn Jr. took their places by her side. "You girls should all be ashamed, not just for what you've done to this family this past week...but what you just said about Lincoln" Rita scolded, "he may have made mistakes, sure...but he's done all he could to _fix_ them as best as he could."

After wiping the tears from her eyes, Leni voiced her complete agreement with her mother's words. "All he's done is try to be a good guy...but this family's so focused on the bad stuff that you never look for the _good_ inside of him" she stated maturely, "I mean...Lola; when all four tires on your Princess Car's blew that one time, who gave you the money to buy new ones...no questions asked?"

Upon being asked this, her mind suddenly flashed back to the previous summer; where the memory in question happened.

(Flashback)

_In the memory, Lola was driving her car around the yard; waving at her "fans" like some Miss America beauty queen at a parade. When suddenly, she drove over a collection of Jacks that Lynn was playing with; which caused them to pop all at once. As the vehicle sputtered to a halt, Lola came dangerously close to letting out a shrill shriek of despair._

_ Meanwhile, up in the house; Lincoln had seen the entire scene play out through his bedroom window. Thinking quickly; he rushed out of the house with all the speed he could muster, took his sister by the hand and began consoling her. One talk and hug session later, he offered her some of his own money to help get new tires for the princess car._

_ At first, Lola snobbishly refused it; proclaiming that he was planning to buy a new comic with that money already. But then, without even a word; Lincoln suddenly placed the money into her hands. After that, he smiled at her and murmured "you need it more than I do, right now."_

(Flashback ends)

In the real world, Lola suddenly fell back onto the sofa in shock. Then, her eyes began to well up slightly with tears; the memory Leni spoke of now flashing clearly in her head. "You're right, Leni...he _did_ help me out" Lola muttered, "he could've easily spent that money for himself...but he chose to help _me_, instead." Satisfied that she'd gotten through to her, Leni directed her attention towards Lori next. "What about you" she asked bluntly, "remember how upset you were when you couldn't go to Jean Juan's for your anniversary dinner with Bobby, last year?" Lori grumbled bitterly, remembering how much she was looking forward to that dinner.

"I'll take your silence as a yes, then" muttered Leni, "well...after finding out about that, who managed to talk Dad and all of us older gals into putting on a fancy dinner date for you guys outside the house?" Upon saying this; Luna, Luan and Lynn suddenly muttered to themselves in deep thought. They remembered how insistent Lincoln was, when he was begging for their help.

At first, they presumed he wanted to do the whole thing just to keep Lori from "going postal" on everybody. But then, Lincoln quickly revealed how hurt and disappointed Lori looked. Truthfully, it hurt him to see anyone that unhappy; especially his sisters.

So, he thought about putting on the best fancy dinner date scene ever. He volunteered to be the waiter, Lynn was tasked with being the soda jerk, Leni was tasked with making the table look stylish (something he knew she'd be good at) and he asked Luna to provide romantic musical accompaniment. When she was given the job, Luna came close to deciding in playing a "romantic power ballad."

But Lincoln quickly suggested that the violin would be a better idea, once he remembered how versatile Luna's music skill was. Lastly, he even asked for his dad's help in prepping a special dessert for Lori and Bobby. With their combined abilities, they did just that and created a small chocolate covered strawberry cheesecake.

Lori was quite surprised that Lincoln remembered how much she loved cheesecake _and_ chocolate covered strawberries. Needless to say; in the end, both the dessert and the date as a whole were perfect. "That was literally the best date Bobby and I ever had in a long time" she sighed blissfully, "all thanks to you guys, especially..." Before she could mutter the final word, Lori suddenly found herself overwhelmed with guilt.

How could she have said such horrible things about Lincoln, after he managed to get the others to give her such a wonderful date? In that moment, she felt that Lincoln's voice mail to her from so long ago may have been right all along; she truly was the "worst sister ever." With her and Lola dealt with; Leni slowly approached Lisa, who had chosen to sit on one of the dining room table chairs.

"I understand what you plan to do with me, Elder Sister" the wee genius muttered stoically, "but it is useless to do so, I am above focusing on something as trivial as emotion." The moment she said this, Leni simply shook her head at her; as if appearing unconvinced. "You can say that all you want, Lise" she muttered, "but deep down...you love Lincoln just as much as the rest of us."

It was there that Leni asked the wee genius to think back to her first science fair. "Remember how upset you were when your first ever science gizmo didn't win first place" she asked, "when you got home and told us about it...who spent all night with you fine tuning it, so that it would be ready for the next fair?" All the girls muttered happily, upon hearing this; remembering how much of his evening Lincoln sacrificed to help her.

"As I recall; in helping me, our brother didn't retire to his bed until 10 PM" muttered Lisa, "he even missed the Season Finale of that ARRGH series he so richly enjoys." It was then she remembered that, thanks to Lincoln's assistance, that very project went on to win the science fair the following month. When this memory came into her mind, a chill of regret swiftly washed over Lisa's diminutive form.

With three of the remaining sisters dealt with, all eyes now turned towards Lynn; who was doing a series of face slaps and chest pounds. Almost instantly, everyone realized what she was doing; Lynn was "toughening herself up" so that she wouldn't end up crying like the others. "Do your worst, Sis" she said with a defiant smile, "I'm tougher than all of you put together, there's nothing you have that can break me!"

With that said, all the girls smiled at one another and turned towards their parents; who've decided now was _their_ turn to "approach the bench," as the saying goes. "We applaud you for remaining so steadfast during this whole thing, Lynn...really" Rita said with a smidgen of pride, "but the truth is...if you think being 'strong' or 'a good athlete' means being rude, aggressive, pushy and insensitive towards everyone...well, you're living a lie." Lynn Jr. was taken aback by this response, due to having her abilities called into question.

"You don't understand, Mom; I _need_ to be tough...I _NEED_ TO BE AGGRESSIVE" she exclaimed loudly, "if I even show the slightest mistake or softness, people will think I'm weak...and I can't be an athlete, if I'm weak." The moment Lynn said this, Lisa began clicking her tongue softly in disbelief. "You poor, deluded fool" she murmured, "you've been so wrapped up in this persona of yours that it has taken over your very psyche."

Lynn growled loudly at her sister; muttering how while she didn't understand what she said, she didn't like _how_ she said it. "What your sister means, sweetie...is that you're living a lie" Lynn Sr. stated, "_real_ strength actually comes from _embracing _your weak points." The young tomboy simply chuckled at her father's words; proclaiming that no one could be strong, if they admit their weaknesses.

"Actually, dear...your father's right" Rita interjected, "nobody in the world is perfect, we all have flaws...but it takes a lot of maturity to admit them." It was this piece of wisdom that brought everybody to confess their own insecurities and faults. Such faults included Lisa's poor social skills, Lola's inability to accept losing with grace, Luna being a tad too aggressive (at times) with her music and even Lana confessed how she enjoyed dressing pretty while masquerading as Lola for a pageant, long ago.

"I remember that, brah" gasped Luna, "you and Lincoln got in the game, when it was revealed that Dairyland tickets were the grand prize!" Lana gave her sister a thumbs up, indicating that she was right. "As much as I loved winning the trip, I truly did like dressing up" she admitted, "I just...I never thought someone like _me_ could look pretty too."

Upon hearing their sister's confession, eight out of ten of them applauded her bravery; proclaiming it must not have been easy for her to do it. "If you like wearing dresses sometimes, Lana; do you think...you'd be up to play Warrior Princesses with me, sometime" Lola asked, "you'd get to use a weapon." Lana smiled slightly at her twin sister and muttered "I'll think about it" in response.

While this went on, Lynn Sr. and Rita couldn't help but notice some signs of the girls getting along again. _"Maybe there's hope of things returning to normal"_ Rita thought to herself, _"or...whatever passes as normal for our family."_ After hearing Lana's confession, Lucy mentally debated on confessing to her own weaknesses.

But something nagged at her, which forced her to think twice on the matter. _"C'mon, Lucy...if Lana is brave enough to confess_ her_ secret, you should be to"_ she whispered quietly, _"even if they end up laughing, it needs to come out."_ After that, the wee Goth cleared her throat and called for everybody's attention.

"I've got something to add to this conversation, everyone" she murmured, "it's not just about me confessing a weakness either...it's also about confessing to a wrong that was committed against Lincoln." Both intrigued yet concerned, everyone faced Lucy and asked what she wanted to say? "Well...do you guys recall when the toilet got clogged a year or so ago" she asked, "and that it was due to a book being found inside of it?"

Everyone thought hard on the memory in question (or harder, in Leni's case) and then, it all became clear. "All due respect, brah; what does the toilet cloggin' have to do with you" questioned Luna, "I mean, Lincoln already said it was his book." With a deep blush on her cheeks and her fists clenched at her sides, Lucy quickly called "shenanigans" to Luna's statement.

"The Princess Pony book wasn't Lincoln's" she exclaimed as loudly as she could, "he only took the fall for the _real_ owner...because you all said you'd make them into a laughingstock, once you found out!" There was a strong silence, after Lucy's outburst; everyone feeling too shocked to speak. Finally, Leni raised her hand and asked why she referred to the book's owner as a "her?"

"The reason is because...because...sigh" she groaned softly, "it's because...the book...was actually _mine_; I read it in the bathroom, the night before the incident happened." Everyone gasped loudly, unsure if it was her confession to the incident...or the fact that she read girly books that surprised them more. "Something doesn't add up, though" Lynn Sr. muttered, "how did the book even end up in the toilet to begin with?"

It was _here_ that Lucy revealed that just before anyone came to the bathroom, she hid the book inside of the toilet. "Lincoln saw that the lid was down and assumed someone forgot to flush, during the night" she explained, "so...he accidentally flushed my book down the tube but it got stuck, instead." To close out her story, Lucy revealed that while she will always love creepy stuff; she had moments where she liked to get out of her comfort zone, at times.

"Lincoln does that all the time with _us_, after all" she stated, "he enjoys beauty treatments with Lori, sewing with Leni, making headbands and such with Luna...he even enjoys coaching Lola with her pageants." Upon hearing their sister's list, they realized that what she said was true; _everyone_ had the right to step out of their archetypes...even Goths like her.

Upon hearing this reveal, everyone was starting to feel like a great weight was being lifted off their shoulders. But then, they realized that one person still remained to confess her faults; Lynn. But surprise, surprise; the young jock held on to her guns and kept up the "tough girl' act she was so proud of.

Finally, Lynn Sr. decided that there had been enough confessions and stories told that day. "The time has come to get to the point of this whole matter" he stated, "as such; there will be some _biiig_ changes in the Loud House, after today." This declaration caused the girls to feel a tad nervous, wondering what sort of changes their father had in mind.

"For starters, girls; this nonsense you call the 'Sister Fight Protocol' ends today" Rita said firmly, "anytime you girls have a disagreement, you are to report to me and your father; _we_ will straighten it out for you as best as we can." The girls only nodded silently, in response; realizing that now was the perfect time for the protocol to end. "The second change is that even after the situation with Lincoln is fixed (knock on wood,) there will be a strong limit on some of the things you all can do" Lynn Sr. decreed, "that means no more Prank-Pocalypses, no more wild animals in the house...and _no more science experiments of any kind!"_

This statement took Lisa completely off-guard; with such a restriction, her experimentations will not be as fruitful as they've currently been. She was prepared to present this point to her father. But the firm yet icy stare in his eyes quickly shut her up. Luan also felt threatened by the ruling; believing that April Fools Day wouldn't be fun anymore, due to her father's restriction.

"Third; if your brother doesn't wish for your help or advice, respect his wishes and leave him be" Rita added, "if you meddle in his business again and we hear about it, there will be trouble." The girls collectively gulped in fear, when they heard this. For this rule meant they could no longer give Lincoln the help _they_ believed he needed.

But with that thought in mind, they all realized the point their mother was trying to make. Just because they _think_ they have all the answers on things like dating, dealing with bullies or whatever else; that didn't mean Lincoln needed them. It was then that they all mentally decided to apologize to him for all the times they tried to "help" him...but only made things worse.

"The fourth rule is that if your brother wants a little private time to himself, give him just that" Lynn Sr. stated, "if you have something important you need his help or support with, ask him nicely...and _don't threaten him_!" It didn't take long for everyone to realize it was Lola, Luan and Lynn Jr. that he was referring to and the aforementioned girls swiftly began to blush with shame. The girls all collectively murmured a soft "yes, Sir;" indicating that they were still paying attention.

"Finally...we want you to respect him more" Rita stated, "if he likes to read comics but isn't all that into sports, fashion or pranking...respect his choices and don't force him to be something he's not." Once again, the girls all muttered softly in understanding and vowed to follow all the rules their parents established. "We'll literally do whatever you want, Mom" muttered Lori, "we just...we just need some time to get back to normal."

The two Loud parents smiled at their daughters, happy to see them acting civilly again. Because of this, Rita decided to reward them all. "How about we take a trip to the park, girls" she offered, "a little time outside will be just the thing to help perk us up again."

The girls, weak with regret and burnt out from fighting for so long, offered so little of a response. All they could do was simply murmur with approval. Pleased by this response...or lack thereof, Rita asked Lynn to prepare a nice picnic lunch for everybody.

"I'm on it, honey" he said with glee, "I'll even make us my famous Lynn-sanity Pepper Chili!" With that said, he quickly zipped into the kitchen to prep the food; leaving the ladies back in the living room to discuss possible plans for their park outing. But before they started, Rita issued one final warning to the girls.

"Listen well, girls" she said firmly, "this outing will be your last chance to prove yourselves to us that you want things to get back to normal." The girls all nodded in unison, fully understanding the severity of the situation. "If any of you act out or cause any further disorderly behavior, there will be more than just groundings happening" she grumbled fiercely, "do I make myself clear?"

Due to feeling much too nervous to speak, the only response the girls could offer was a collective nod. However, this was all that their mother needed to see. With that settled, she waved goodbye to the girls and went upstairs to collect the picnic gear.

(Line Break)

The following morning, all of Royal Woods was welcomed by a truly gorgeous day. The sun was shining, the skies were clear, the birds were singing; these conditions made it the perfect day for a trip to the park. One group who had such an idea was the Loud Family; who, after storing their picnic and game gear into Vanzilla, headed off for the park.

For the first time in days, everyone felt truly at peace again and were anxious to have some fun together. Little did they suspect that they would meet with an unexpected surprise, upon their arrival. After driving for a half hour or so, they have reached their destination; the Royal Woods park grounds.

After parking the van, Lynn Sr. and the family unloaded the supplies and headed straight for the entrance. But before they could stick one toe inside, they were suddenly stopped by Officer Schoffner. "Sorry there, folks" she said firmly, "but the park is closed for today."

To say that the Louds were disgruntled by this news would be a gross understatement. "But...how can that be" murmured Lynn Sr. in disbelief, "it's such a beautiful day, how can it be closed?" Understanding his confusion, the officer decided to explain the situation to them.

"Until 6:30 or 7PM tonight, the entire park has been reserved for a private party" she stated, "only invited guests may enter." The Loud Girls all moaned and groaned with immense displeasure, hoping that this was all a dream. "Who in the world could rent out an entire public park for one party" questioned Lynn Jr. bitterly, "whoever it is must either be rich or have strong connections."

At that moment; the family could hear loud sounds of laughter, joyful screams and general conversations from within the park. Upon looking at the crowds ahead, the girls gasped loudly in surprise at those who were in attendance. In the park, they caught glimpses of many of their former friends and classmates with their families.

"What the...where did all of _these_ people come from" grumbled Lynn irritably, "and how could they rent out a whole park?" Realizing they were in need of answers, Rita turned towards Officer Schoffner and asked_ her_ for some insight. "To make a long story short, ma'am; this endeavor was a collaborative effort made by the families you see inside there" she explained, "Mrs. Pingrey called City Hall the other day and got permission for the whole thing."

Upon hearing the name of the one in charge of it all, Lori's blood began to boil. But what she saw next brought it close to becoming as raging as the flames of Hell. Up where Carol and her crew were playing Frisbee together, Lori spotted something familiar...a young preteen boy with white hair!

(First AN: Now, the rest of the Loud Family has made their presence known in this story...But it's not under pleasant circumstances, unfortunately. What will happen now that they're blocked out of the park and that they know Lincoln's crew are the ones who called dibs on it)

(Second AN: I heard most of your concerns about Agent Mathers in the previous chapter, everyone. So, in lieu of striking him from the story or changing up his character; I've made it so Lynn Jr. had a history of incidents where she acted much too aggressively on the field; much like how she was with Amy. I hope you'll all understand, now)

(Third AN: The incidents of Lincoln's screw ups that Lori and some of the girls made are references to previous Loud House episodes. Among them are Save the Date, Dance Dance Resolution, Sleuth or Consequences, The Waiting Game and of course, No Such Luck. There was also a small reference to Cover Girls as well...but only when Lori dressed as Lincoln)

(Fourth AN: For the moment where Lynn's Table is temporarily closed down; I wasn't entirely sure about how the text on the Health Department posters should appear, when they're put up on a restaurant or business. So, I made up the text using the best knowledge I had on such things. I hope everything makes sense to you all, when you read the moment in question)

(Final AN: Some things might seem off too some of you, like Leni actually talking some sense into everyone or Luan using Mr. Coconuts to "speak for her." But for the former; I figured that in times of great peril, Leni finds enough sense to speak her mind about something important. As for the latter, episodes like Stage Plight have shown me that Luan might not be very skilled at speaking from her heart.

So, that is when she relies on her ventriloquist dummy to help be her lips. I hope that will make sense to you all)


	12. Chapter Twelve: Panic at the Park

Panic at the Park

Let us pause the tale here for just a brief moment, so that we can understand how the Louds' current situation came about. Hours before the family arrived at the park, Lincoln and the girls were at Jordan's place; gathering together everything they would need for the picnic/cookout. "I hear it's supposed to get warm and sunny out tomorrow" Lincoln stated, "should we bring sunscreen?"

Jordan's parents praised the lad for bringing up the idea. But they assured him that the weather wasn't quite warm enough for that yet. "Perhaps, on the day of the pool party; we might need it" Dana implied, "in which case, some of us may require help applying it.

After giving him a sort of "hint, hint" elbow nudge; it didn't take long for Lincoln to catch on to her implications. With a bashful chuckle and a faint blush forming slightly his face, Lincoln quickly hid himself beneath a small blanket; causing the ladies to giggle sweetly at him. Sometime after that, everyone began loading their vehicles with the supplies they needed.

Among these supplies was a large grill, which was being wheeled over by Cristina's father. "Can't wait to cook up some burgers with this baby" he chuckled heartily, "today certainly feels like grillin' weather." There was a hearty cheer of agreement from all the fathers among the group, even Lincoln sided with them; despite being the only young boy present.

Upon seeing him struggling slightly with the grill, Lincoln hurried over and offered to help Cristina's father. "I know I may not look it...but I _am_ strong" he stated, "let me help you push this over." At first, he doubted that the boy could be much help to him. But then; he realized that to survive in a home like _his_, he would have to be strong (in some way.)

"Sure, I could use a hand" the man muttered with a smile, "just put your shoulder behind the right leg of this thing and help me push, okay?" Lincoln nodded in understanding and hurried over to the spot. Then, once Jordan's father gave the signal; he and Lincoln began pushing the grill up to the row of cars.

When they got close enough, two other fathers hoist it up and loaded the grill into one of the cars. Pleased with himself, Lincoln swiped the sweat from his brow and pumped his fist in the air in victory; causing everyone to cheer softly. "I had no idea you were so strong, Linc" Becky said with great praise, "now, I see why my little sister likes ya so much."

This sudden statement caused Lincoln to snap out of his mildly exhausted state. In all the time he knew her, Lincoln was surprised to suddenly hear that Becky sibling; much less a sister. "I don't think I've met her before" Lincoln confessed, "is she anybody I know?"

As she prepared herself to answer his inquiry, Becky suddenly heard her father giving a light shout; asking her to come and help Paige load the minivan. Before leaving, she gave Lincoln a wink and whispered "I'll let you try and put the pieces together, lil man." With that done, the young teenager hurried over to join with the others in their packing.

As he stood there, watching them; Lincoln suddenly saw some things about the two ladies he never noticed before. From the cut of their hair, the color of their eyes, their love of sleeveless shirts right down to their love for anything "geeky" (Becky being a comic nerd and Paige being into gaming;) they seemed like peas in a pod, sort of. _"Hold it...it couldn't be that much of a coincidence"_ he thought to himself, _"but maybe...Paige _could_ be the sister Becky was talking about...I dunno."_

At that moment, the girls suddenly started calling out Lincoln's name; snapping him out of his train of thought. "C'mon, Lincoln" cried Jordan anxiously, "we gotta get a move on before anyone else fills up the park." The young lad suddenly realized her point and hurried off towards her family's car.

It was here that Carol mentioned that they wouldn't need to worry too much about people taking up too much of the park. "With help from all the other parents, Mummy and Daddy reserved the park for our picnic/cookout until 6:30 tonight" she said with glee, "we'll have the grounds to ourselves today!" While everyone else squealed with joy, Lincoln couldn't help but feel slightly confused.

"I don't know, guys" he murmured softly, "isn't it a bit unfair to keep everyone out of the park except us?" Mr. Pingrey took note of his confusion and quickly offered up a clarification. "All others will be welcomed into the park; rest assured, my boy" he stated, "however...there is but _one_ group who will be forbidden from entering."

With this simple statement, Lincoln suddenly felt a cold chill sweep over him. He knew _whom_ Mr. Pingrey was implying with his restriction and _why_ he was doing it. At the same time; He could only imagine what would happen, if _they_ found out.

(Line Break)

As we return to the present, it appears that Lincoln's fears were correct. For once they all learned about the park being closed to them, the Loud Sisters were quite shocked. But when they saw him amongst the crowd of party guests, playing and laughing with everyone; their shock immediately gave way to anger.

However, this anger was felt on different levels within each of the girls. Some like Leni, Luna, Lucy Lana and little Lily felt left out and upset. While others like Luan, Lola and Lisa felt as though they had been "cheated" out of something.

Rita and Lynn were more surprised than mad or shocked. But it was mostly due to the fact that so many people would go to such levels just to keep _them_ out of a party. Up until now, they never wondered just how fast and far news of Lincoln's home situation traveled.

"Officer, I know the town has some...issues with our family right now" Rita chuckled nervously, "but could you...you know, turn the other cheek just this once and let us relax just for today?" Some of the girls stood beside their mother and proceeded to beg Schoffner to show them some kindness. But despite their efforts, the policewoman did not relent.

"Look, ma'am...I may have shown some leniency toward you that one time" she muttered with a deep sigh, "but it seems to me that your son has suffered far worse...mostly because he's a minor." This statement brought Rita to suddenly look at Lincoln's situation in the family, once again. Up until now, she never realized how much pressure Lincoln had been under.

Along with all his usual chores, working on his homework for school _and_ sorting out his social life; the boy also had to help keep his ten chaotic sisters in check; something she and her husband were supposed to do. In other words, they were all forcing an eleven year old boy to grow up much too soon or too fast. Only now did she realize the consequences of her and her family's actions.

Sadly, the same could not be said for some of her daughters. As Lori and Lynn stood there, watching their brother laughing and frolicking about the grounds; they felt their anger from earlier flow through them in full force. "That...little...TWERP" the eldest blonde seethed viciously, "it's bad enough he's got the whole town against us...but now, we come here to see _THIS?!_"

At the same time, Lynn felt her own rage boiling inside. "That does it...this ends here" she growled ferociously, "I'm gonna make that wimp pay for what's happened!" With that said, both ladies proceeded to jump the fence; much to the ire of their family. "Guys, we're in enough trouble as it is" Leni cried out desperately, "maybe we should just go back home." Sadly, the young blonde's words went unheard; as her two sisters attempted to climb over the fence. Upon seeing this, Officer Schoffner rushed over and grabbed hold of Lynn's hips; trying to pull her down.

"GET OFF OF ME, YOU OVERSTUFFED PIG" she shouted, "MY BROTHER'S ABOUT TO GET SOME LONG OVERDUE PAYBACK!" Lori grunted in agreement, before she began cracking her neck in preparation for the assault to come. Meanwhile, in the park; everyone else was having a jolly time.

Carol and her crew were playing Frisbee with the dogs, Jordan was helping Kat set up the picnic table, Cristina was bird watching, Phoebe was taking snapshots for a Spring scrapbook and Cici was making plans for a football game against the boys before lunch. Speaking of whom, Lincoln was sitting at a table; drawing away inside of a notebook. Chaz and Joey meanwhile, were trying their best _not_ to sneak anything from the baskets.

"C'mon, Chaz" whispered Joey, "stick your hand in and snatch a couple of chip bags, while everyone's distracted." Chaz nodded slightly in response and slowly eased his hand towards one of the open picnic baskets. But he was suddenly stopped, the moment he heard Lincoln clear his throat softly and murmur "if you do that, Dana will have your hand."

With a startled yelp of surprise, Chaz pulled his hand back and slinked away; knowing full well that the little dude's words were not an empty threat. Chaz's memory was filled with moments of his sister catching him sneaking food...and the punishments that followed. "How'd you know what we were doing, dude" questioned Joey, "we thought you were studying."

Lincoln let out a gasp of shock so over-dramatically, it would rival Mrs. Bernardo. "_Me_...study during time off, when no tests are approaching...the very idea" he said with a goofily dramatic tone, "I'm actually working on a secret surprise for the girls." Upon hearing the word "surprise," the boys suddenly felt intrigued and asked if they could have a look.

"Wish I could, my dudes...but can't" he said firmly, "because A, it's not finished yet and B...if I told you what it was, it wouldn't be a surprise; right?" At first, the boys felt like begging him to have a tiny peek Lincoln's secret surprise. But then, when they heard it wasn't finished yet; they realized that they had to wait.

"Don't worry, guys; it will all be worth it" Lincoln assured, "heck, it's for you as well; not _just_ the girls." At that moment, Kat overheard the boys' discussion and tried to have a peek for herself. "No way, lil' miss" Chaz said firmly, "Linc said it's not done yet...so, we'll have to wait."

After giving a soft murmur of "aw, dang it," Kat turned around and proceeded back to her table setting duties. But then, she saw something that made her face go white. "Um...boys; if ya like surprises, I have one of my own" she mumbled fearfully, "just look over near the gate."

Feeling both confused yet intrigued, Lincoln turned towards the gate to see what his friend found. The moment he did so, his pupils almost shrank to tiny specs and his blood ran cold. For climbing over the gate was his two elder sisters, Lori and Lynn; who appeared to be foaming at the mouth.

At the same time, Lincoln also caught a glimpse of the rest of his family; who were trying desperately to pull the other two back. "Aw, crud; it's my sisters" Lincoln choked out fearfully, "I knew they'd be livid about the park being closed to them!" Chaz was also feeling rather nervous but for an entirely different reason.

The moment he spotted Leni among the group, he began to fear for his well-being. _"If she's anything like her older sister, she might not have taken my wish for space that well_" he thought nervously, _"I can't let her see me here!"_ Alas, Lincoln and Chaz weren't the only ones to notice the Loud Sisters' intrusion.

During the Frisbee game, Carol pulled herself back; prepping for a good toss. When out the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Lori and let out a soft "meep" of alarm, as did Whitney. "Crud, I thought the policewoman said she could keep them out of here" murmured Carol, "but...I guess one woman alone couldn't handle a family like _that_!"

Suddenly, Lori let out a vicious snarl and pulled herself free from her parents' hold; while tearing her favorite t-shirt slightly in the process. Lynn, meanwhile karate chopped Leni's wrist and broke free. Once into the park, they immediately began to search for their "prey."

"OH, MY GOD; THEY'RE COMING THIS WAY" Lincoln cried in horror, "WE'VE GOTTA HIDE SOMEPLACE AND QUICK!" With that said, everyone began seeking out places to take cover in. Sadly, the park was an open area place; which left few hiding spots to find.

Then, at that moment; Jordan gave a whistle and called for her friends' attention. "There's an equipment shed, in the distance" cried Carol, "maybe we could all hide inside there!" At first, everyone doubted the success of the idea; thinking it might actually be too small for them.

But they had little time to think on it, as Lori and Lynn were now fighting their way through the picnic groups; occasionally grabbing one or two of them and demanding to know where Lincoln was. "Everyone, hurry; we have no time to waste" Lincoln shouted, "to the shed!" No one needed to be told twice and immediately ran as fast as they could.

Ironically enough, the dust cloud the group made with their running caught Lynn's attention and she smiled naughtily at the "retribution" she was poised to inflict. "Get ready, _bro_" she murmured coldly, "when I'm finished with you; you'll have so many Indian Rope Burns, your arms won't move right for weeks!" Before the wee jock could take one step, however; Lori swiftly plowed her down with a quick shoulder push.

"I've got him first, Lynn" she growled, "that little punk is gonna pay for ruining my social life!" As the girls prepared to give chase, the other gals and their families quickly blocked their way. "Maybe you didn't get the memo, girly" grumbled Stella, "but this park is off limits for the likes of you and your family!"

Everyone shouted loudly in agreement, while also demanding for the Loud Family to leave. But due to her stubbornness, Lynn Jr. was not willing to be denied her "rightful revenge" and grabbed the Filipino girl by her shirt collar. "Listen here, Missy" she hissed, "either get outta my way or I'm gonna slam your head on every surface around us."

Upon hearing this threat; Becky and Phoebe rushed over to Lynn, grabbed her from behind and flung her to the ground. "You hurt one hair on my gal pal's head, Lynn and I'll slam _your_ face on every surface of the park" Phoebe growled, "same thing goes for your bimbo of a sister!" While the fight ensued; such a distraction allowed Lincoln, Carol, Dana, Whitney and Chaz to reach the equipment shed.

It was a modest-sized storage space, one that appeared a foot taller than Carol but still quite large (on the outside.) But on the inside, it was filled with all manner of gardening equipment and grass seed bags. "I dunno if we can all fit in this, dudes" Chaz murmured nervously, "I'd be lucky enough to get through the door."

Though, he couldn't help but agree with his friend's skepticism; Lincoln insisted that they should try to get in. With that in mind, Chaz agreed to go in first; believing that the others wouldn't have difficulty getting _themselves_ inside. Alas, Chaz's fears proved correct; for it seemed the teenager was much too big to fit inside.

But after a few strong pushes from his friends, he suddenly flew in; falling onto his face. Soon after, Lincoln and the girls stumbled in behind Chaz. The piles of seed bags helped break their fall. But with all four of them stuck together inside, they were now crammed in tighter than sardines.

Back at the main grounds, everyone else was trying their best to hold off the rest of the Loud Family (or more specifically...Lynn and Lori.) When suddenly, Jordan looked over her shoulder and saw that the door to the shed was slightly ajar. On one hand, this meant that everyone reached the shed in time.

But...on the other hand, this meant that there was very little space inside; thus leaving her friends unable to close it. _"I've gotta go close that door before Lynn or Lori sees"_ Jordan thought to herself, _"I'm sorry, guys; if I squeeze you in too tight."_ With that in mind, she hurried off to the shed as fast as she could.

As expected, Lori and Lynn saw where the girl was headed and smiled wickedly. "So..._that's_ where they are, huh" chuckled Lori, "perfect...this way, he won't have anywhere to run to." Back at the shed, everyone inside tried desperately to try and position themselves comfortably.

But due to their present situation, it proved to be a rather difficult task. Carol's long hair almost got caught twice on the teeth of a rake. Chaz was squished up against a pile of seed bags, Whitney had her back pinned against a wall, Lincoln's face was squished up against Whitney's poofy hair and Dana's torso (or possibly her bosom) was lightly pressed up against the back of Lincoln's head.

_"Man...now I know how those people on those Tokyo subway trains feel"_ Lincoln groaned mentally _"I just hope we won't be in here for very long."_ Suddenly, from the corner of his one still visible eye; Lincoln could see the door beginning to close. Everyone could see the same thing (albeit barely) and did their best to beg whoever was outside to not shut them in.

Ironically, as the person outside sloppily shut the door; Lincoln could hear his sisters stomping footfalls approaching. After that, he heard Lynn's unmistakable voice speaking to someone blocking her path. _"Outta my way, twerp"_ she growled fiercely, _"I've gotta score to settle with the kid inside there."_

After that, Lincoln heard the sounds of Jordan's voice scoffing at his sisters. _"If you think I'm gonna stand by and watch you bully my friend, you're sorely mistaken"_ she said defiantly, _"if you want him, you gotta go through _me_ first!"_ This phrase brought a smile to Lori's face, while Lynn simply cracked her knuckles in preparation.

_"You think we won't take you out before we go after Stinkin', girly" _the young jock's voice said mockingly, _"you're gonna need an army to try and stop us!"_ From inside the shed, small tears began to trickle down Lincoln's cheek. _He _was the one they wanted, nobody else should have to sacrifice their own well-being for his sake.

Lincoln could only sit inside and hope his sisters will be merciful to Jordan...just a little. Then, at that moment; Lincoln suddenly heard a strange collection of sounds outside the door. At first, they all sounded near unrecognizable. But there was something else he could hear as well...the sounds of fearful screaming.

Much to his surprise however, the screams didn't come from Jordan; it was his sisters...and they sounded terrified. Then, he suddenly heard something that sounded like an object striking Lynn hard in the face. It sounded hollow and yet...bouncy, to his ears. For almost two minutes, the onslaught went on and Lincoln could hear Jordan join in on the attack.

Finally, the assault worked and Lincoln could hear the sounds of his sisters running away screaming. Whoever was helping Jordan out there, Lincoln was surprised that they held their own against the likes of Lynn. After all that, everything was deathly quiet; save for the sounds of discomfort from inside the shed.

"Do you think they're still out there" questioned Lincoln, "it sounded like my sisters were driven away by an army." Before anyone could answer, the shed door suddenly swung open and a pair of figures quickly grabbed hold of Carol's arm. After a few good tugs, she was pulled out of the shed safely (but not before she got her hair free.)

Once she was out, everyone else was let out of the shed safely. "Are you kids alright" Jordan's mother asked, "you didn't cut yourselves or twist anything while being stuck in there, right?" After taking a moment to stretch themselves out, Lincoln and Co. assured everyone they were okay.

"We'd be found out, if it weren't for Jordan and one of the others driving my sisters away" Lincoln said gratefully, "thanks a million for all that, by the way." Jordan thanked him for acknowledging her efforts. But she informed him that it wasn't any of the other girls who helped her.

"Everyone else was busy keeping the rest of the Loud girls at bay" Jordan stated, "lucky for me, though...an unexpected ally came to my corner." Before he could ask who this "mystery ally" was, Lincoln looked around and saw what drove his sisters away; dodgeballs...and lots of them. "If it wasn't any of the others, Jordan; then...who helped you" he asked confusedly, "who else do we know is _this_ good at using a dodgeball...besides my sister, Lynn?"

Before anyone could answer, Lincoln suddenly felt his arm being swiftly yet roughly struck without warning; which was followed by the murmur of "forgot about me already, Lame-o?" Whether it was the arm punch or the phrase that was used; either way, Lincoln could immediately tell who was among them. With a smile on his face and a knowing chuckle, Lincoln turned around and was greeted by a sight he had not seen for some time; the smiling face of Ronnie Anne Santiago.

(AN: Good news, Bad News time; the bad news...the Gal Pals crew's picnic gathering has...hit a bit of a snag, shall we say. But the _good_ news is Lincoln now has a new ally at his corner in Ronnie Anne. How did she get here, you may be asking; tune in next time)

(Second AN: If the scene with the shed felt weird to any of you. It was my best attempt to fulfill a scene request from crafordbrian17. He/She has been quite insistent in asking me to include at least, _one_ scene where Lincoln and a few of the girls were caught in a cramped space.

I hope the scene I made is to your liking. From here on out, the story's drama shall be coming down harder than rainfall in a hurricane.)

(Third AN: Speaking of something one of my readers said; the slight hint I had here about Paige and Becky being sisters is part of a theory that was presented to me by ButtonMan. He read somewhere that the two of them _could_ be family and asked if I could reference that in the story.

I hope the little hint I left is good enough for ya at the moment, dude)


	13. Author's Note

Author's Note

I wish to take a moment to say a few things to all the people who've been reading the story up to this point. Your support in this piece means a lot to me and I've been having loads of fun making it, so far. To all my followers and reviewers, your support and feedback are all very much appreciated.

To all those who presume that I've been demonizing the Loud Sisters; I apologize, if you've felt that way. But since part of this story is based off the...absurdly stupid "Sister Fight Protocol" from the episode Brawl in the Family." I think we all know how aggressive the girls can be during said protocol.

That being said; as shown in Chapter Eleven, the girls aren't beyond redemption (at least...some of them aren't.) Leni, Luna, Lucy...even Lola and Lisa have begun to see the error of their ways. Meanwhile, Lori and Lynn Jr. are still caught up in their silly pride to ever show regret over their actions.

Especially since Lori almost always considers herself to be "in the right" simply because she's the oldest. As for Lynn, due to that "tough girl" exterior she created since her Middle School days (as seen in Middle Men." She's become so wound up with needing to be tough and "the best" that to her, showing weakness is like committing a heavy crime.

But rest assured; after the picnic fiasco she started, the verbal lashings she'll receive coupled with any possible police action performed by Officer Schoffner will be just the thing to break down that façade and show everyone Lynn's sensitive side again. Back on the topic at hand, this story isn't me demonizing the Loud Sisters or their parents. If it were a story set within the actual show, the events would be like karma giving them some long overdue payback.

To explain what I mean; I ask you to look back at the Season 2 Amazing World of Gumball finale entitled...The Finale (ironically enough.) Those of you unfamiliar with the episode, here's a shortened version of the synopsis. After who knows how long; the Watterson Family is receiving some long overdue payback from the people of Elmore for all the stress, property damages, disturbances, reckless endangerment and who knows what else they've caused.

That is sort of, what is happening in the Gal Pals story. After so long, the Sisters and their parents are being punished for the things they did wrong. The girls' behavior in public due to the protocol being in affect was simply the tip of the iceberg.

So, I can assure you that I am not demonizing them. I'm simply showing how amplified their otherwise "normal" chaotic behavior can become, when properly sparked (and the Sister Fight Protocol is that spark.) Now that Lynn and Lori's attitudes have escalated things to (as Lisa put it) erupting volcano levels of bad, what will happen next?

All we know is that now, Lincoln has a new player at his corner; Ronnie Anne. Find out how _she_ came into the picture, in Chapter Thirteen. On one final note; to anyone who felt that the shed scene was awkward, it was my best attempt at fulfilling a request made by crafordbrian17 (the user who asked me to make this story.)

For sometime, he/she has been begging me to include at least _one_ scene where either Lincoln is trapped in a small space, some or all the girls are trapped in said space or both halves are trapped. I've tried telling crafordbrian17 that such a scene wouldn't make sense for this story and that it wasn't something the rest of you wanted. But he/she told me that there were other such stories out their (be they Loud House related or otherwise) and he/she considered them to be "good.

Long story short, the shed scene is the only time the characters will be put in such a position. The story will go as follows, from here on out. Thank you all for understanding, have a nice Memorial Day and enjoy reading the rest of the fic.


	14. Chapter Thirteen: To The Rescue

To The Rescue

Now, you all may be wondering how Ronnie Anne came onto the scene; am I right? Well, let us turn back the clock to where this all began; back at Gus' Games n' Grub. After Lincoln and the girls left the parking lot, the staff was getting ready to close up the place.

But just before the manager prepared to shut down the lights, a waitress quickly stopped him. She was a pretty, young thing with short brown hair, dangling white earrings, red lipstick and her work uniform showed off her slim yet slightly curvy form quite well. "I need to use the phone to make a quick call, Sir" she stated, "it's to Bobby Santiago; someone who used to work here, long ago?"

The manager chuckled softly upon hearing Bobby's name, remembering how dedicated of an employee he was. Granted, much of said dedication was spent in trying to impress his girlfriend...but it was still commendable work. With a light smile, he granted the waitress permission to make her call...but only this once.

After saying thank you to her boss, she hurried to the phone and began dialing. Now before he left; Bobby gave his new phone number to his former bosses and coworkers. Not just for emergency purposes but to also keep in touch, during off-time.

In the past, whenever she _did_ call; she and Bobby would simply chat or catch up with one another. This time however, after what she heard from Lincoln's group just moments ago; she felt as though something grim was afoot. So, she wanted to inform her former coworker of what was going on; just to be safe.

But the moment she pulled the phone off the receiver, the waitress hesitated. _"Hold on a minute"_ she thought to herself suddenly, _"It could just all be a misunderstanding, just some gossip they were all spreading."_ Upon thinking this, a couple of her fellow coworkers passed by and she could hear them talking about Lincoln and his friends.

"Sorry, dude...I just can't bring myself to believe it" murmured one employee, "I mean, being left out in the sun in a mascot suit is one thing...But you expect me to believe the kid had that much sunburn on him?" Another employee nodded his head vigorously, while nibbling on a garlic knot. "Heard the conversation myself while bringing over a table's drink order" she murmured, "I even saw a glimpse of the sunburn for myself."

As she continued listening in on the conversation, the waitress' mind swirled in a whirlwind of thoughts. The whole story confused, disgusted, baffled even terrified her. At the same time, she couldn't believe Lori, another former employee at Gus', would deliberately allow such things to happen to her own brother. This was just the push she needed to make the call.

_"If anything _is _going wrong at the Loud House; Bobby should be informed about it, at least"_ she thought matter-of-factly, _"I just hope he'll believe me."_ With that; she took hold of the phone, activated the speed dial and rung up Bobby's number.

(Scene Change: the Casagrande Apartment Building)

At the apartment complex; we find young Ronnie Anne fearfully darting from room to room, as if hiding from something. _"If I keep quiet and mind my steps, I can leave the building and head for the skate park without being noticed"_ she thought to herself, _"if she finds me...who knows how many indignities I'll be forced to suffer."_ With that thought in mind, she took her board under her arm and proceeded towards the stairway with the greatest of caution.

She briefly stopped herself, at one point and looked about the area for signs of the family pets; Sergio (the parrot) and Lalo (the house dog.) She loved them, like she did any pets. But Sergio had trouble keeping his beak shut and Lalo was both a friendly yet overly-excitable dog. If he caught sight of a friendly face, Lalo would storm at you like a bull and pin you down to the floor; allowing him to lick your cheeks as much as he pleased.

Both pets also made it difficult for anyone to sneak about the complex unnoticed. The slightest sound would get either Sergio squawking or cause Lalo to bark loudly. So, Ronnie Anne had to use whatever skills she had to move quietly.

She took a moment to look into the living room to find that most of her family was busy watching telenovelas on TV. This meant that no one would notice she was leaving...knock on wood. With everyone either asleep or distracted, Ronnie Anne went back on her way in trying to reach the stairway.

After almost a minute and a half of tiptoeing down the hall, she was mere inches away from the steps. Then without warning, the phone started ringing loudly; causing the pets to suddenly snap out of their relaxed state. No sooner had they woken up, Lalo began to bark loudly while Sergio simply kept squawking "BRARWK! GO AWAY, WE DON'T WANT ANY!"

The moment this happened, a door burst open and out came Carlotta (Bobby and Ronnie Anne's cousin;) who was holding a pair of semi-formal dresses in her hands. "Ronnie Anne, I know you're here somewhere" she called out, "I promise...if you try on at least _one_ of these dresses, I won't bug you for the next month!" Ronnie Anne silently shook her head, knowing that her cousin was fibbing and proceeded down the steps as fast as she could.

The reason being; while the phone was ringing upstairs, it was also ringing down in the bodega. Upon reaching the aforementioned shop, Ronnie Anne discovered that the place was empty. Of course, it didn't take too long for her to realize the truth; that Bobby locked himself inside of the dairy case..._again._

"I swear, I love the dude...but he can be such a doofus at times" she murmured while facepalming, "he's got to learn not to shut the door behind him, when he's restocking." As she was about to help her brother out of the dairy case, the phone started ringing again. With an exasperated groan, Ronnie Anne gave her brother an "I'll be right back" gesture and hurried over to the desk.

On the other end of the line; the Games n' Grub waitress was anxiously tapping her fingers on the front desk, mentally begging for someone to answer. Finally; after a minute of waiting, someone picked up and greeted her with a casual _"Casagrande Bodega, how may I help you?"_ The waitress let out a sigh of relief and proceeded to ask of Bobby Santiago was available.

_"I'm sorry but my brother is currently...busy, at the moment"_ Ronnie Anne's voice replied, _"but I'll be happy to take your call in his place."_ Upon hearing the girl call Bobby her brother, the waitress immediately presumed she was speaking with Ronnie Anne and giggled giddily. After that, the two started playing catch up with one another.

At one point, though; the waitress quickly remembered why she called the house in the first place and immediately called for Ronnie Anne's attention. _"Listen... the reason I called is because a few moments ago, I saw Lori's little brother here with some girls"_ she explained, _"before you ask; no, none of them were his sisters."_ This piqued Ronnie Anne's interest and she asked what was going on.

_"I didn't get the whole gist of it, unfortunately" _the waitress' voice stated, _"but it seems that Lincoln, Lori's little bro, may or may not be having some trouble at home."_ Upon hearing this, Ronnie Anne went momentarily silent with shock. Truth be told, it had been a while since she had a video chat with him.

With this in mind, she began to wonder if Lincoln was in some kind of trouble. "Thanks for the update" Ronnie Anne murmured, "I'll...I'll make sure to tell Bobby what's happening and that you said hello." After that, the two ladies shared one final goodbye before hanging up their phones.

Once that was done, Ronnie Anne began to wonder what was happening with her friend and former classmate. _"Don't think too much on it, girl"_ she thought to herself, _"the lame-o must be caught in another playful scrap with his sisters and he's just blowing it out of proportion, he's probably okay."_ Little did the young Hispanic girl suspect that in the days ahead, she would see just how bad things truly were.

As Spring Break rolled around, Ronnie Anne was having a jolly good time. She skateboarded at the park, hung out at the city tower with her Great Lakes City Crew (Casey, Sameer and Nikki,) gorged on some "Chicago Style pizza" and many other activities. Then, one faithful night; when she returned home from viewing a movie premiere, she saw her whole family gathered 'round the TV.

"Uh...guys, not to be rude but The Dream Boat is on Monday Nights and today's Wednesday" she stated, "unless they had a rescheduling for this week." What happened next took Ronnie Anne completely by surprise. When Carlotta turned to face her, she actually didn't egg her on about wanting to try on dresses (for once.)

"Ronnie Anne, glad you're back" she said softly, "come in...there's something you need to see on TV here." As the young tomboy looked at the screen, she saw that her family was watching the news station and grimaced. "Thanks but no thanks, everybody" Ronnie Anne murmured, "the news is much too boring for my taste."

As she prepared to head off for her bedroom, Ronnie Anne's mother quickly called her back politely. "Please, honey; this is important" she said with great concern, "I think something's happened to your friend, Lincoln." Upon hearing the aforementioned boy's name, Ronnie Anne's arm froze stiff; just as her hand was mere inches away from the doorknob.

For the first few seconds, she hesitated; unsure if she should join her family in watching the news. _"It's probably nothing big"_ she thought to herself,_ "Luna must've blown out the town's power again...or Luan went on another pranking spree."_ As she continued to weigh her options, Ronnie Anne silently listened in on the TV from where she stood.

_"Welcome back to the 8 o'clock news, everyone" _the news anchor in greeting, _"for those of you just joining us; we are continuing our coverage of a news story that has taken all of Michigan by storm._" This part of the story took Ronnie Anne by surprise. Whatever this topic was, it must've been about something big. That being said; if it did spread statewide, why didn't _she_ know about it until now?

In thinking this, Ronnie Anne suddenly realized the obviousness of the answer; she never cared much about "adult news" before. As such, she always either changed the channel or turned the TV off; whenever it came on. Suddenly, she realized she was distracting herself and immediately joined her family in the room to watch the report.

What she saw next was so shocking, Ronnie Anne came close to throwing up the nachos she ate earlier with her friends. It was a picture of someone's belly, covered halfway in what looked like second degree burns. "EWWW, GROSS" cried Ronnie Anne in disgust, "why would you call me in to show me _this?!_"

While everyone understood her alarm, the family urged her to look at the picture again. Against her better judgment, Ronnie Anne complied and looked at the screen. That was when she saw who was wearing the nasty burns on his belly; her old pal, Lincoln Loud.

"What the...Lincoln" she murmured in confusion, "how in the heck did he get like that?" Upon saying this, everyone urged Ronnie Anne to continue in listening to the report. With a light shrug of the shoulders, she agreed and took a seat next to her mother.

After a while, the anchors began discussing more about the situation. "Run that by me again, Herb" said an anchorwoman in confusion, "how long was the boy in that costume for?" Her partner let out a sad sigh and said that he had been out on the beach for the entire afternoon.

"I say again, everyone...this young man was in that damn costume...for almost six hours" the anchorman grumbled, "six hours he was in that, standing in the blistering heat of the sun...it's a miracle he didn't die of heat stroke!" When the Casagrande Family heard this reveal, many of them were a mix of confused and disgusted. Meanwhile, Maria Santiago was feeling an overwhelming sense of concern for the boy.

As a nurse; she knew that no human, young or old, should be subjected to such conditions. She also wondered if the burns were ever properly treated or if he was hydrated, after being at the beach? Suddenly, the report continued with a third anchor bringing up a surprise reveal.

"Word around the grapevine is that the family kept the boy in that suit because wearing it made him 'good luck'" grumbled the man, "can you believe that crap, anybody who believes in luck deserves to be put in an asylum." Upon hearing this, something came to Ronnie Anne like a flash. She recalled how just before moving away; Lincoln told her about both the beach situation and of how it all stemmed from his older sister, Lynn's dumb obsession with luck.

As the report went on, the lead anchor revealed that the entire situation only started after Lincoln was forced (emphasis on forced) to attend the ballgame. "According to reports; if Lincoln Loud refused to go to said game, his sister would've beaten him with a bat until he relented" she stated, "that sounds like a genuine mix of abusive behavior, anger management issues (on the sister's part) and disrespect towards one's wishes." The Casagrande family grimaced in alarm, shocked to hear that Lincoln's own sister would act that way.

_"Doesn't seem too farfetched to me"_ Ronnie Anne thought to herself bluntly, _"that Lynn was always a bit of a brute."_ At first, one of the news anchors tried to defend Lynn; proclaiming that family had to support each other as much as possible. "That's true, family must try and be supportive" the lead anchor stated, "but what you need to realize, Mack is that with ten sisters; he's _always_ expected to support them!"

Continuing from that point; the newswoman proceeded to list all the pageants, games, performances and other extracurricular activities his sisters were a part of. Upon seeing them all, Hector Casagrande muttered about how overwhelming it all looked. "As you can see, the entire family's days are quite booked" she stated, "which in turn, presents the following question, with so many things happening in the girls' lives...how could their brother find room for any kind of a personal life?"

This question sparked a bit of a debate amongst the newscasters, as well as the Casagrande Family. Then, a male anchor brought up another part of the story; reports of possible abuse. "In a related story; several employees of the Tranquil Springs Spa and its owner, Fernando Garcia, have recently provided their own insight on the boy's situation" a male anchor stated, "and they had quite a bit to share."

One camera wipe later and the screen showed an interview with one of the spa's stylists, Randy. "It all started out very well" he said pleasantly, "I was primping his hair, we were talkin' all casual and such; that sort of thing." Then, in an instant; Ronnie Anne saw Randy's expression change from joyful to disgust.

"Then, when he mentioned his relation to Lola Loud; I thought he was crazy" he stated, "I mean...how could a boy as nice as him be related to a girl as vicious as _Lola the Prissy_?!" After Ronnie Anne shared a small giggle at the nickname, one of the news anchors asked Randy just how bad Lola had been to him. That was when he pulled up his sleeve and revealed the teeth marks on his wrist.

"You see, I was once tasked to be her stylist for an upcoming child pageant she was entering" Randy explained, "I've bent myself over backwards multiple times and by the end, she _still_ said my work was shoddy!" At that moment, an image of Lola from the aforementioned pageant appeared on the screen and everyone thought she looked adorable. "I think Randy did excellent work on her" Carlotta said with a pleased nod, "what could Lola have hated about it?"

Unfortunately, Ronnie Anne couldn't answer her question; even if she wanted to. In the time she rarely interacted with the Louds, she always saw Lola acting rather bratty and demanding towards everybody. Of course, she simply dismissed it as a "little kid thing" and believed she would grow out of it...eventually.

Just then, several employee interviews played; each one of them describing things Lincoln or his friends said happened in his home life. One masseuse spoke about his sister, Luan's insane pranking sprees. A nail stylist mentioned instances where his little sister, Lisa would presumably "experiment" on him or "harvest his and/or his sisters' organs."

But to Ronnie Anne the most shocking stories were about his sister, Lori. "Apparently, she's been dating some guy she's known for...Lord knows how many years and she is absurdly in love with the guy" a man explained, "she's so in love with him that after Lincoln called out the guy's little sister for bullying him; the boyfriend got mad, broke up with the sister and she threatened to pulverize Lincoln...unless he 'made up' with her...embarrassing." The Casagrande Family gasped in shock at this reveal and they turned toward Ronnie Anne, hoping she'd say the man was lying.

Reluctantly, the girl sighed with shame and said that every word he said was true. "Back in Royal Woods, I used to hassle Lincoln like crazy" she stated, "I'd put gum in his hair, 'kick me' signs on his back, shove sandwiches down his pants...the works." To say the least, the family was both shocked and highly disappointed in her.

"Ronnie Anne, I'm surprised at you" Maria said in a scornful tone, "I thought you said you and Lincoln were friends?" Ronnie Anne quickly held up her arms defensively and claimed she could explain herself. "We _are_ friends...really" she said nervously, "I was just...I was just playing around, that's all."

Her mother raised an eyebrow at this, recalling all the times she "played around" with Lincoln whenever he visited. "While there's little to no issue on matters involving bubble gum or...putting sandwiches down his pants" she said with a slight shudder, "your family and I cannot condone any further violent actions towards Lincoln...he seems to be enduring enough as it is." Upon saying this, Ronnie Anne lowered her head in slight shame; mentally noting to make a boatload of apologies to Lincoln, the next time they'd meet.

"What I do not understand is...does Bobby know that his girlfriend is forcing Lincoln to be faithful to Ronnie Anne" murmured Uncle Carlos, "I mean..._we_ always felt the kids were good together but no one should force any kind of romance between them." As much as they disliked doing so, Aunt Frida and Grandma Rosa couldn't help but mutter in agreement with him. Meanwhile, Ronnie Anne was prepared to voice how she and Lincoln were "not together..." but realized it would be hopeless and just kept watching TV.

The whole time she did, the news team and those being interviewed kept bringing out all sorts of skeletons from the Loud Family's closet. With each new piece of info revealed, Ronnie Anne began to question how a sane dude like Lincoln came from such an unstable family.

(Line Break)

The following morning, Ronnie Anne went to the Skate Park to meet with her friends; Nikki, Casey, Sameer and her newest friend, Sid Chang. "What's up, peeps" she called out loudly, while performing some tricks; "who's ready to roll?" Much to her surprise, not one of them answered; they appeared to be glued to something playing on Nikki's tablet.

"AUGH! C'mon, you guys" she cried in exasperation, "it's Spring Break and we should be livin' it up, not be glued to some silly internet videos." Upon hearing her say this, Sid looked up and gave her a sort of "it's not what you think" sort of sad look. "This isn't some silly epic fail or challenge video, Ronnie" she murmured, "it's...well, you should see for yourself."

With a soft roll of the eyes and a deep sigh, Ronnie Anne complied with her request and looked down at the tablet. What she saw next gave her a grim sense of déjà vu. It was a news report and on the background was a picture of Lincoln; just like what she saw at her home, last night.

In said report; the news crew mentioned that over the past day or so, every other member of the Loud Family faced some form of punishment due to all the news that was spreading. The biggest blow had to be the temporary shut down of Lynn's table, where Lynn Loud Sr. (Lincoln's father) worked as the owner and head chef. "Whoa...that's bad mojo right there" Ronnie Anne murmured softly, "I mean...what will the family do for a livelihood?"

Upon asking this, Sameer asked where Lincoln was during this whole thing. "That's a good question, dude" Nikki chimed in, "y'all don't think he's setting all this up on purpose...do you?" Ronnie Anne scoffed at the idea, proclaiming that Lincoln didn't have it in him to do something quite so vicious to his family.

However; with that being said, she decided that this whole thing was worth looking in to. So, after having some skating fun with her friends; Ronnie Anne hurried home and rushed to Carlotta's room. "Cuz, I really need your help" she said desperately, "it's an emergency!"

Upon hearing this; Carlotta let out a joyful squeal and, with the speed of a cheetah, pulled Ronnie Anne by the wrist into her bedroom. "I have been waiting for this moment for ages, Ronnie Anne" she said giddily, "I always knew you'd be facing a fashion emergency, someday." Before the young preteen could protest, she was suddenly caught in a whirlwind of colorful clothes.

For the next minute or so; she found herself put in formal, classy, peppy and even princess-y clothes. But with each one she put on her, Carlotta consistently believed nothing "looked right" on her. "Hold on, I've got just the thing" she exclaimed, "a girl like you on the verge of becoming a woman deserves to look the part!"

Upon saying this, she brought out something that made Ronnie Anne shudder with sheer terror; a belly-cut blouse and a frilly mini-skirt...emphasis on the "mini" part. Finally, Ronnie Anne had enough and she decided to put her foot down (both figuratively and literally.) "Okay...Carlotta; first of all, there is no conceivable way anybody would let me walk around in public in something like_ that_" she grumbled, "second of all, I don't have time for this family's nonsense...least of all, yours!"

Clearly offended, Carlotta was about to protest against her cousin; when the door suddenly swung open. Once it did, the two girls were met with the rest of the family (sans Bobby.) All of whom appeared to look rather concerned.

"_Nietas_, is everything alright" questioned Grandma Rosa, "we heard a crash and thought one of you fell." Carlotta shook her head and said that Ronnie Anne was simply "acting up again." Just as her grandparents prepared to remind her about being nice to family, Ronnie Anne held up her hand firmly; silencing everyone.

"Please..._Please,_ everyone; let me speak for a second" she pleaded desperately, "normally; I can handle all your wild behavior, everybody...but I've got a serious emergency on my hands!" Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions suddenly went grim and they asked what was happening. "I...I don't really know, to be honest" she confessed shamefully, "but something tells me that Lincoln might be in trouble...and I've _got_ to go help him!"

After saying this, the family quickly understood the severity of the matter and each one offered their assistance. Uncle Carlos offered some information he learned from a book he read on life or death scenarios...but that wasn't appropriate for the situation. Aunt Frida asked if she needed someone to take photographic evidence of anything amiss.

Grandpa Hector offered to sneak around and keep his ears out for any gossip Ronnie Anne could use regarding Lincoln's situation. While Rosa suggested using a sort of "strength ritual" that involved inhaling some incense and drinking hot sauce (to help put the "fire burning in her belly," both figuratively and literally.) Meanwhile, her younger cousins had their own ideas.

"Let _me _come and assist you, _prima_" Carl offered while trying to appear "macho," "feels like this would be a situation that only a real man could handle." Carlotta sniggered under her breath and muttered how "real men" don't sleep in footie pajamas at night. CJ also offered to help but he thought that if he could "fly" fast enough, he would make the "bad guys" so dizzy that they would have no choice but to surrender.

Finally, Ronnie Anne let out an exasperated moan and silenced everyone with a raise of the hand. "Guys, you all have some really..._really_ good ideas" she muttered, "but what I really need is for someone to give me a ride to Royal Woods." When asked why she wanted to go, Ronnie Anne simply said that Lincoln would need backup; if things were as bad as the news claimed.

"Please, guys; I'm begging you" she implored them, "I need to do this...the last thing I want is for Lincoln to get seriously hurt." Although the family genuinely wanted to help her, many of them felt torn about how to do it. Neither Rosa or Hector had a license and Ronnie Anne's mother was at work in the hospital until 9 PM.

Then, Carlotta raised her hand high and offered to help out with the situation. But Ronnie Anne held some doubts about her cousin's sudden "selflessness." What's the catch, Carlotta" she prodded firmly, "you want me to go clothes shopping with you, get my belly button pierced...put on makeup?"

While on the inside, the teenager was squealing at the prospect of doing each of those examples with Ronnie Anne. On the outside, she did her best to suppress those desires. "No, Ronnie Anne...no catch" she said firmly, "this situation is obviously serious and we need to help your friend."

Ronnie Anne took a moment to let the shock pass and then, she thanked her cousin with a quick yet loving hug. "The question is...how will we get to Royal Woods" she grumbled, "the buses don't go fast enough from here to there and my mom has the only car we have." Upon saying this, Carlotta smiled sneakily and murmured "that's not entirely true.

Moments later, after distracting the gang of street cats that loitered by their complex and sneaking out; Carlotta brought Ronnie Anne to a parking garage. There, the girls came to a beautiful sight; a sleek, rose-colored sports car. "Whoa! This is a sweet ride" gasped Ronnie Anne, "wonder who _this_ belongs to?"

That was when Carlotta gave her a sly grin and gave her a sort of "this gal" pointing gesture. "Before you moved in; I got this car for my _Quinceañera,_ last year" she chuckled, "how do you think I managed to go to so many thrift stores all this time?" Ronnie Anne smiled at her cousin, clearly pleased with how well life's been for her and climbed into the passenger's seat.

"Quick question, Carlotta" Ronnie Anne asked suddenly, "just how fast can this car go?" With a small wink of the eye; the teenager climbed into the driver's seat, revved up the engines put her foot to the petal and before Ronnie Anne knew it...the car zoomed out of the garage like a bat outta hell. While she still struggled to resist the g-force of the ride, Ronnie Anne's mind couldn't stop thinking of her goal.

_"Just hold on for a little longer, lame-o"_ she stated mentally, _"the cavalry is coming."_

(Cut back to Present Day)

As we return to the present, Lincoln and Ronnie Anne exchanged a brief high five before greeting one another. "Wow, Ronnie Anne; didn't expect to see you here" the white-haired boy chuckled, "what brings ya back to Royal Woods?" Ronnie Anne's demeanor then softened slightly, becoming somewhat stoic and she brought up the stuff she heard about him on the news.

"At first, I thought it was all hogwash" she admitted, "possibly another one of Luan's dumb pranks...then, I saw the pictures." Upon hearing this statement, Lincoln questioned what type of "pictures" she saw. "The ones where you had all that sunburn on you, doofus" she muttered with a slight eye roll, "I came close to losing my lunch, when I did."

At that moment, Carlotta arrived and she quickly started looking over every inch of Lincoln; hoping that he had no signs of injury. "Guys, I'm okay...really" he assured them, "thanks to my friends, they kept me safe." This reveal left Ronnie Anne feeling quite baffled, to be frank.

Looking around; she spotted Liam consoling his pet pig, Zach holding up a toy space laser gun with trembling hands, Rusty passed out from shock on the grass and lastly, Clyde was twitching about on his side while making robot noises. This led Ronnie Anne to presume that he had another mental breakdown, the moment he saw Lori. "No disrespect, dude" she murmured softly, "but I don't see your pals posing much of a threat against your sisters."

Surprisingly, Lincoln didn't take much offense to Ronnie Anne's descriptions of his friends; despite inwardly agreeing with her a little on them. "I wasn't talking about them" he stated, "I was talking about the ladies here." Soon after saying this, Ronnie Anne suddenly overheard a loud cacophony of whooping and shouts.

She looked all around her and soon spotted the ladies Lincoln spoke of. But aside from a few mildly familiar faces; like Jordan, Haiku and even Cristina...the rest of them were unfamiliar to her. Sensing the girl's confusion, Carol approached her and casually introduced herself.

"I'm Carol Pingrey...I'm sure your older brother might've mentioned some things to you about me" she stated, "specifically when Lori and I got into that silly selfie race." Ronnie Anne tapped her chin silently for a bit, racking her brain in trying to recall that day. "Oh, right...Bobby had to get his wisdom teeth pulled, when Lori called him" she exclaimed, "but wait...she did all that for a _selfie?_"

This statement caused everyone to laugh loudly at the sheer ridiculousness and stupidity of the event in question. "I know; both of us were so silly, back then" Carol giggled, "the only consolation the two of us got from that was that we put our rivalry behind us." The moment she said this, her pleasant demeanor instantly gave way to a sullen frown.

"That is to say...I _thought_ we put it all behind us" she murmured, "yet here she is with her family, bent on hurting us and/or her only brother for reasons that had nothing to do with him." Not too far away, Lori quickly overheard her words and hissed venomously. "You traitor, how could you say that" she shouted, "this whole situation has _everything_ to do with my brother!"

No sooner had she said this, Lynn Jr. quickly joined in. "Because of that little rat, all our lives have been put through the wringer and now...we have nothing" she growled, "meanwhile...Stinkin' has all you dumb bimbos, your parents and this whole _stupid town_ treating him like a king for no reason!" She then proceeded to reference all the stuff Lincoln had done together with his new friends, which made his family feel slightly envious.

"You couldn't be any more wrong, young lady" Jordan's mother seethed, "all of us did those things for and _with_ Lincoln because he needed to be surrounded by good people!" The other parents shouted exclamations of agreement to her words, as did the girls. "Lincoln is one of the kindest, smartest and most loyal guys some of us have ever known" Becky said with great praise, "he's been an absolute sweetheart with all of us."

To say that Lynn Sr. and Rita were surprised by all this would be a gross understatement. At the same time, they were happy that his good nature still remained; in spite of all the...craziness happening. "Fact of the matter is, Louds...you take advantage of your boy here" murmured Stella's father, "as it seems; without him around to help manage your drama, your family goes all to pieces!"

Half of the Loud Sisters prepared themselves to make some sort of retort. But every time they tried, they suddenly began to choke up. It was then that they realized the grim truth...the girls and their families were right, Lincoln _did_ help keep them together.

After that, they proceeded to look about the grounds; taking notice of all the games that were set up and the foods that they all prepared. "Hey, what's that" inquired Leni while pointing towards a table, "it looks delicious." Everyone turned around to see what the girl spotted, a tray of fresh chocolate chip brownies.

"Nice, aren't they" sighed Mr. Pingrey with delight, "your brother helped Jordan and her family make those." The moment he heard this, Lynn Sr. suddenly felt a pang of sadness grip at his heart. _"He...H-He helped them with baking"_ he thought in confused sadness, "_but...b-but I thought_ we _were baking buddies."_

After that, Leni looked over and saw that Fiona was sporting a crimson-red scarf. Upon asking where she bought it, Fiona simply said it was a gift. "Apparently, your little brother has a knack for sewing and knitting" she stated, "he and his friend, Clyde made this for me."

Much like her father; the moment she heard her former friend's statement, Leni felt her heart shatter to pieces. "But...B-But..._we_ would always do knitting together" she whimpered, "and now...he's doing it with somebody else?" The next gut-punch came when Haiku stoically told Lucy that Lincoln was considering in joining her poetry club.

"Not only is his own poetry really passionate," she said with a soft smile, "but he's been a big help with me and my fellow members." While her eyes remained unseen, Lucy's body language and her lips showed a whole plethora of emotions. Soon; she started biting down on her lip, her hands started shaking while balling up into fists and as she inhaled through her nose, her breathing seemed shaky.

_"But...But _we _would always work on poetry together"_ she thought to herself, _"sigh...I can't really blame him for doing it with somebody else."_ After that, Lincoln suddenly noticed things were getting heavy and decided to (after so long) speak to his parents. "I know it's beyond awkward of me to do this, guys" he murmured, "but...could one of you lend me some laundry soap from home...somehow."

When he saw the confused looks on his family's faces; he explained how if he was to be staying over any of his friends' homes, he felt like he should help with the laundry...including his. After hearing this, Rita came darn near close to choking up. For she had fond memories of them working together in cleaning everyone's clothes, back home.

"Oh...s-s-sure thing, honey; I'll help" she whimpered, "would you like Fresh Scent or...or Heavy Du..." In that moment, she struggled to get the last word out; showed Lincoln and the rest of his family she looked ready to burst. Finally, after clearing her throat; she tried it again. "Let me try again" she said with a heaving sigh, "would you like...Fresh Scent or Heavy Du...Du-Du-Du...TYYYYYYYYYYY!"

That did it; in struggling to say that one word, Rita finally fell to her knees and sobbed. Not long after; Leni, Lana, Lola, Lily, Lucy and even Luna began to weep as well. "LINKY! PLEASE COME BACK TO US, LINKY" cried Lola, "PLEASE COME HOME...OUR FAMILY'S A MESS WITHOUT YOU!"

While it _did_ pain him a little to see so many of his family members crying this way. At the moment, it all felt like nothing more than crocodile tears; just a ploy to try and manipulate him emotionally. Then, while struggling to hold his own tears back; Lynn Sr. tried to speak.

"C'mon, son; our family misses you to death" he murmured, "the house has been falling apart without you around!" Upon hearing this, Lincoln scoffed at them; proclaiming that it seemed they only valued his presence because he did favors for them. "No, sweetie; it's not like that at all" Rita said desperately, "you're the family's rock...you help keep all of us stable, loving and strong."

Several of the sisters began to cry out in agreement with their mother's words. "I know we've done you wrong for some time, sweetheart; I really do" Rita sighed with great shame, "but if you'll let us...we can try to fix things...together." For what felt like ages, neither side had spoken a word; which made the otherwise joyful park scene feel rather tense.

Finally, much to the family's surprise; Lincoln hung his head low and turned his back on them. "I'm sorry, Mom...I really am" he muttered sadly, "but I don't want to go back to a house where everyone only sees me as either a slave, a guinea pig, a jinx or an inconsiderate screw up." With that said, Lincoln made his way down towards one of the picnic tables; anxious to have some potato salad Cristina's parents made.

Upon seeing him "rudely" deny his mother's wishes, Lori and Lynn Jr. finally lost it. "Listen here, twerp; we're done putting up with your attitude" Lori growled while approaching her Lincoln, "so, apologize to mom and make up with everybody or me and Lynn will _make you_ do it...the hard way!" Not wishing to wait for an answer; Lynn cracked her knuckles, rolled up her sleeves and stomped her way over towards her brother's table.

But in an instant, her path was suddenly blocked by over a dozen of Lincoln's friends. "If y'all want our buddy, yer gonna have to go through us first" Liam said defiantly, "all of us." With that said; every preteen, teenager, high school student and parent held their ground before the two enraged girls.

Not long after, Ronnie Anne and Carlotta took their stand in the middle of the lineup; the both of them crossing their arms defiantly. "What's it gonna be, Loud" challenged Ronnie Anne, "if you turn around and leave us alone, we won't call the police on you...but if you _do_ fight us and me and Carlotta end up getting hurt, Bobby will know...and you don't want _that_, right?" Upon hearing these words, Lori immediately froze stiff; realizing that Ronnie Anne spoke the truth.

If she fought either Ronnie Anne _or_ Carlotta to get close to Lincoln, Bobby and his family would find out and she dreaded to think what would happen afterwards. But Lynn, on the other hand; well...restraint wasn't really something she was known for. "My dumb sister may be too chicken to fight but not me" she growled, "bring it on, Santiago...I want to see if you're as tough as my brother claims."

What transpired next was a brawl that seemed more fearsome than any of the sort Lincoln had with his sisters before or since. There was much hair-pulling, punching, kicking, a few headlocks and they even snuck in a few instances where they attempted to bite each other. Finally, both girls were quickly pulled away from each other by the adults as best as they were able.

"Young lady...we're already on thin ice with the town as it is" Rita whispered through clenched teeth, "if we...or moreover, _you_ cause anymore trouble; who knows what will happen next!" Upon freeing herself from her mother's grip, Lynn desperately tried to make herself look like the "victim" of the situation. "Don't you guys get it, everything bad that's happened to us is because of Lincoln" she shrieked, "he's nothing but mistake!"

Again, the boy in question tried to ignore his sister's insults. But after seeing his friends suffer her wrath; his anger was welling up so fiercely inside of him, the plastic fork he held almost snapped in two from his tightening grip. "Lynn...I know you're upset and I totally understand your anger" he muttered while inhaling through his nose, "but if you don't stop hassling me and my friends...you'll regret it."

After hearing the frightfully grim tone in his voice, almost everyone around him could immediately tell Lincoln was _not_ bluffing. Well...that is to say, _almost_ everyone realized this. However, Lori and Lynn refused to be intimidated by their little brother.

"Listen here, runt; let me remind you of who it is you're threatening" she said viciously, "I'm a highly skilled student of martial arts, wrestling, hand-to-hand combat and the toughest gal in our family." To drive her point home, she took out her cellphone and showed everyone all the awards she had won and all the victories she had achieved. "You can barely last one round against a house cat mauling you" she chuckled sinisterly, "so...why should I be spooked by any of your threats?"

She looked all around at the other ladies and asked them the same question. "Fact is, no matter how many of you are here...I'd still take you all down" she boasted boldly, "I mean...you saw what I did to Santiago, right?" Upon saying this, Lincoln gave his fingers a squeeze; which caused the plastic fork he held to snap in two.

Afterward, he stood up from his seat and glared at Lynn with a blazing fire in his eyes. This look was so terrifying, it even caused Lucy and Haiku to quiver in terror. Then, he approached Lynn with a slow stride; stomping his feet with every step he took.

"Lynn...let's get something straight here" he whispered vehemently, "you and the family can humiliate me all you like, you can destroy my stuff, you can threaten me, you can have me grounded for months, blackmail me or even kick me out of the house and force me to live in Charles' doghouse." Before Lynn could make any kind of retort, Lincoln grabbed her roughly by the collar of her jersey and pulled her over; so that they'd be nose-to-nose with one another. "But mark my words" he growled, "when you mess with my friends..._YOU ARE DEAD!"_

The moment he said this, something inside of Lincoln snapped. Before anyone could react, he pounced onto Lynn like a lion and they proceeded to give each other the worst throttling ever. Lincoln ripped out bits of Lynn's hair, she kicked Lincoln in the back, _he_ gave Lynn an Indian Rope Burn on the right arm and they both pounded their fists into each other's faces so fast and hard, bits of blood could be seen flying through the air.

After that, Lynn was thrown backwards onto her rear and Lincoln turned his attention towards Lori next. "Don't think I've forgotten about you, ya blonde bitch" he seethed, "you had this coming for years!" After that, he snorted air through his nose and was ready to rush her. But Clyde and Jordan hurried over and placed their arms on his shoulders in a desperate attempt to calm him down.

While they did this, the Pingreys and other parents approached the Louds; all while wearing enraged expressions upon their faced. "You really screwed up this time, Louds" grumbled Jordan's father, "things were going so well until you all showed up!" The other parents shouted loudly in agreement, each of them voicing their apparent disdain towards the Loud Girls' behavior.

"What your two daughters started here was the last straw" Mrs. Pingrey cried out, "not only did you wander into a private gathering uninvited and unannounced...But your daughters also put one of our guests and several of our daughters in harms way!" Rita nervously looked over in Ronnie Anne's direction to find that her cousin, Carlotta was trying to fix up her damaged hair. This coupled with Lincoln's mildly blooded face meant one thing, that they were in deep doo-doo now.

"This is your last warning, Louds" murmured Cristina's parents threateningly, "leave here now or we'll be forced to take action!" In that moment; Rita, Lynn and eight of the ten sisters were more than willing to leave peacefully from the park. But then, as if by some cruel joke made by Fate; Lynn pushed herself up from the grass, placed herself upon her knees and spat out some blood dripping from her cut lip.

"Go ahead...do whatever the Hell you want to us" she grumbled, "that twerp already done enough to ruin our lives; so, how bad could things get now?" Upon hearing this, Lincoln looked at her with genuine shock and offense. "Wait...you guys still think _I'm_ the one who ruined your lives" he asked in astonishment, "you've got it all backwards...truth is, you did it all on your own."

From that point, he went on to say how he simply tried to be the mediator/emotional lightning rod for the family. Whatever bad karma they've gained in the past few days, he added was entirely due to _their_ actions. "I've tried to keep you guys stable...but all it does is blow up in my face" he grumbled, "no 'thank yous,' no hugs, no trophies on _my _shelf on the trophy case...all I get is grief from the ten of you, Mom and Dad."

With each word he said, the Louds (sans Lori and Lynn) felt themselves shrinking with shame. Meanwhile, Lori helped Lynn off the grass and offered to be her "tag-team" partner to help take down Lincoln. This sight was all the parents needed to see. After Mrs. Pingrey gave a shrill whistle; she then gave a loud cry of "HELP, POLICE; WE'RE BEING ATTACKED!"

Soon after she had said this; Officer Schoffner, along with a team of other officers she called in for backup, rushed onto the scene. Before any of them could react, every member of the Loud Family (with the exception of Lily) was tackled to the ground and had their hands cuffed behind their backs. Of course, they've found a little issue with the younger members; namely that _their_ wrists were too small for their handcuffs.

"Just slip them on and get them outta here already" Schoffner grumbled, "these people need to be removed from the premises immediately!" Despite the Louds mixed cries of outrage and alarm, they were all left unheard; as the officer placed them inside of the police wagon. "It's off to the Cooler for you, maggots" Officer Schoffner said firmly, "and be thankful you're not being put into cells right off!"

After the family was shoved into the wagon and the doors closed shut, Rita cast one last look towards her son. She gave him a look that seemed to say "please, forgive me..." but Lincoln, much to her shock, offered her no response. It was in that moment that Rita realized she was coming ever closer to losing her boy forever.

Lynn Sr. and eight of the ten sisters who had genuinely felt remorseful of their actions also gave him the same look. But just like with their mother, Lincoln said nothing to them; choosing only to scowl bitterly. The moment he woke up, that morning; Lincoln hoped for a day of fun in the sun, good food and loads of friends to share it with.

But thanks to his sisters (or more specifically, Lori and Lynn;) things almost fell to pieces. Because of all this, most of the family didn't blame him for giving them the silent treatment. Meanwhile, the girls were more than willing to speak in his place.

"I hope you're happy, everyone" grumbled Dana, glaring through the van's barred windows; "you've almost brutalized/traumatized Lincoln and put everyone here in danger!" Every word the girl spoke felt like a knife stabbing into each of them. The next to speak was young Jordan, who appeared to be on the verge of tears.

"I hope you'll have a nice rest in prison" she grumbled, "because tomorrow, you're in for a big surprise...and it's not going to be a good one, I promise you that!" With that said, after giving it a strong pat; the paddy wagon took off down the road and off to the station. Afterwards, everyone hurried over to Lincoln; hoping that he wasn't too badly hurt...or worse.

Despite the anger lingering inside of him, the boy found enough energy to calm himself down and smile at them all. "I'm fine, girls...I really am" he murmured, "I just...I just need something to calm me down, is there any food left?" This statement caused Lincoln's friends, his Gal Pals crew and their parents all chuckled softly at him; all of whom appeared pleased that Lincoln's joyful demeanor still remained.

"He's right, everybody" Haiku murmured, "let's not what his family did ruin our day, let's all enjoy it while we can." Everyone cheered in agreement and immediately resumed their earlier activities. But while everyone partied and laughed, Lincoln sighed softly to himself; clearly baffled at how his family still hadn't worked out their issues.

_"Whatever happens next, I imagine it can't be good" _he thought to himself, _"I just hope that whatever kind of higher power exists up there...they find it in them to be merciful; at least, a little."_

(First AN: What did I tell you, folks; out of the frying pan and right back into the fire they went. Whatever happens in the end, I hope Lori and Lynn will get some help to manage their rage. But at least, the rest of the family and their parents aren't beyond redemption.

So, please...don't mistake my writing as me demonizing Lori and Lynn. For even in the original series, they possessed almost the same levels of rage. What will happen, while the Louds are in the Cooler and what will Lincoln and Crew do next? Tune in next time)

(Second AN: To clear up any confusion, the waitress at Gus' who calls up the Casagrande's apartment building was seen in episodes like Back Out There and The Old and The Restless.)

(Third AN: Along with Nikki, Sameer and Casey; this chapter also introduced Sid Chang, who is set to appear in the actual Loud House episode Friended that is set to air on Memorial Day. When I saw her on the promo, I thought it would be interesting to add her into the story. I hope I did in a way that was both correct and entertaining)


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Hole-in-Onederland

Hole in One-derland Golf Course

What started out as a pleasant afternoon at the park almost turned into an all-out brawl. Somehow, even with Officer Schoffner guarding the gate, the Louds found their way in. Yet through it all, Lincoln and Co. managed to survive.

There were some chasing, a few stand-offs and there were even two fights that left Lincoln with a few bleeding spots. But in the end, Lincoln had the backup he needed to hold his own against his family (or more specifically, Lori and Lynn.) As he sat at the picnic table, sampling a burger Jordan's father cooked up; his mind surged with questions.

Why, even after all the time that's passed, were things still a mess at his house? He remembered how ridiculous the Sister Fight Protocol was. But this was Lori, the eldest member of his sisters.

How could a girl who claimed to be the most "mature" of the bunch still be clinging on to her petty issues at home? Was losing to Carol at a golf game really that big of an issue to remain angry about for so long. Then, in an instant; Lincoln realized that there was much more too it.

With so many people learning about his situation, there must've been some seriously huge social repercussions sent his family's way. Lincoln's mind still echoed with the words Lynn sent his way earlier. _"Because of that little rat, our lives have been put through the wringer and now...we have nothing"_ Lynn roared with anger, _"meanwhile, Stinkin' has all you dumb bimbos, your parents and this whole stupid town treating him like a king for no reason!"_

Upon remembering these words, Lincoln began to wonder if Lynn was right all along. He was not that special of a person; he wasn't the smartest, strongest or most fashionable (he sniggered slightly at the last part.) So, why _were_ all these people treating him so nicely?

That was when he remembered the words Jordan and everyone else said, after Lynn's tirade. She reminded him of all the kindness, support, friendship and love he'd shown to so many people. He was also surprised to hear just how fast things fell apart at home without him around.

Up until now, he never took in his role as the family mediator that seriously. Sure, he helped get a few hostile situations under control but he never thought much of it. More often than not, he almost always believed he only helped create more problems for his family.

_"Maybe...Maybe I should've just stayed at home and locked myself in my room until their fight blew over" _he thought bitterly to himself, _"if I did, they'd all still be at home and living their lives."_ The moment this thought went into his head, Lincoln suddenly found himself sinking into a pit of depression. He would've been fully consumed by it, had he not felt a sudden jab in the arm; which snapped him out of his thoughts.

After letting out a soft yelp of pain and rubbing his arm, Lincoln looked over his shoulder to find who it was that struck him. Much to his relief, he spotted none other than Ronnie Anne; who (aside from a few bumps and minor bruises) appeared to be okay. "Had me a bit worried there, lame-o; when you started lookin' out into space like that" she said with a chuckle, "penny for your thoughts?"

For a moment, Lincoln remained silent; unsure of what to say next. As much as he appreciated Ronnie Anne's help, he didn't want to see her get hurt for his sake. Furthermore; he felt that if he said anything more on his situation, it would seemingly only make things worse.

But after seeing her hold her own against Lynn the way she did. Lincoln was not only reminded just how strong Ronnie Anne could be. He also realized that he needed all the backup he could find, due to how things were escalating. "I'll tell you everything you need to know, Ronnie Anne" Lincoln murmured, "but there's something else I have to do first."

Then, in the blink of an eye; Lincoln leapt out of his spot and did something no one expected...he hugged Ronnie Anne. This gesture came on so quickly that she lost her balance and fell back onto her rear. At first, Ronnie Anne prepared to give her friend a verbal lashing for hugging her in public (mostly because Carlotta was watching.)

But as Lincoln held her tighter, Ronnie Anne suddenly felt something dripping against her hood. It was tears..._Lincoln's_ tears and they were pouring out his clenched eyelids like they were leaking faucets. Then, through a series of choked sobs; Ronnie Anne could hear him repeatedly murmur two simple words..."thank you."

These two words, Lincoln's crying and the sudden hug combined took her completely off-guard. Yet, she chose to remain silent and did her best to comfort her friend. Finally, after two minutes of tears; the two of them pulled away from each other.

"There we go...feeling any better" questioned Carlotta with a soft smile, "because Ronnie Anne might need a warning, if you need a second wind." After letting out a soft chuckle at the joke, Lincoln wiped his tears away with a napkin and smiled. "I'm...I'm okay, I really am" he murmured, "sorry about all that, I'm just...a little shook up."

The two Hispanic girls nodded in understanding; having seen some of the situation earlier, they knew Lincoln had been through some things. "I just can't believe your sisters...or, as it seems, _some_ of your sisters would take a grudge _this_ far" sighed Carlotta, "I mean, was that the same girl Bobby's been swooning over for who knows how long?" Lincoln shook his head and only offered a simple "I've got nothing" gesture, in response.

"Seriously, dude; Lynn said you essentially 'ruined their lives'" Ronnie Anne muttered while making air quotes, "how could you have done that, if you weren't even at the house?" The moment she said this, the other parents decided to join the conversation. They told Ronnie Anne about the "Sister Fight Protocol" story Lincoln told the girls and how _they_ told all of _them_, after leaving Gus'.

"Needless to say, we were mortified to hear that young Lincoln had to endure such a situation" grumbled Dana's father, "I mean, there are sibling rivalries and then...there's whatever the Loud Sisters do." Ronnie Anne nodded in understanding; whenever she and Lincoln video called each other, she'd almost always caught a glimpse of some of the family's chaos. "Then, before Break started; Lincoln was having nightmares in class" Clyde added, "Principal Huggins had to send him home early, after that."

Carlotta gasped softly in shock, unsure of what to say. Some of Lincoln's story reminded her a little of her own family life, back at the apartment building...but much less crazy. "Then, I started hanging out with the girls all through break" Lincoln said with a smile, his usual joy slowly returning; "we went to Dairyland, the Ace Savvy Convention, had a _great_ stop at the Tranquil Springs Spa, read poetry at the Burnt Bean..." Suddenly, Ronnie Anne held up her hand to stop him; much to Lincoln's confusion.

"Okay, doofus...first of all, slow down a bit; it's hard to keep track of what you're saying" Ronnie Anne sighed, "second of all..._you_ went to the spa?" Upon being asked this, Carol took out her phone and showed pics she and her friends took from their trip. At first, Ronnie Anne came close to laughing; when she saw him getting his nails done or getting a foot rub.

But then, she was shown the picture where he was in a hot tub with Carol and her pals. The moment she saw the kiss marks on his face and his squiggly grin, Ronnie Anne's face contorted slightly into a frown; as if displeased by this. Then, without warning; Carlotta looked over her cousin's head, saw the picture and squealed.

"OH, MY GOSH" she cried, "you all look so cute...wait, are those kissy marks on your face?" Lincoln couldn't help but blush shyly at the mention of this, still feeling a tad overwhelmed by the sudden PDA the girls showed him that day. Meanwhile, some of the girls were more than willing to speak for him; with Jordan leading them off.

"It was me" she giggled softly, "I kissed his cheek, while we were soaking to thank him for being so nice to me during Break." Some of the other girls quickly chimed in, admitting they also shared a kiss or a hug with Lincoln that day. "EEEE! This is just too cute" Carlotta said giddily, "give me the details, I've got to know so I can tease Ronnie Anne with them later!"

Despite feeling annoyed by her cousin's words, the aforementioned preteen was also curious about Lincoln's Spring Break fun. Jordan meanwhile, was feeling a tad shy; unsure if she should speak of something so personal. "Well...to start with; Lincoln won me the cutest prize at Dairyland, earlier this week" she stated, "that was...one of the reasons why I kissed him at the spa."

This statement caused the two young ladies to raise their eyebrows in curiosity. "_One_ of the reasons you say" murmured Carlotta slyly, "do tell, what else did this little _papi chulo_ do to win you over?" All this caused Lincoln to blush deeply in shy embarrassment. "It's nothing...really" he mumbled, "all I did was be polite and considerate towards everyone, just like...just like my mom taught me."

The last part of his statement may have come out in a whisper. But everyone around Lincoln could feel the pain that lingered in his words. Fearing he might sink back into despair, Jordan decided to try and lift the mood again.

"Say, Ronnie Anne...uh, how's big city life" she asked with a nervous chuckle, "must be a lot different compared to how things were around here." At first, Ronnie Anne was confused by the sudden change in topic. But when she saw the state of their male compatriot, she quickly played along.

"Oh...it's pretty cool; at first, I didn't _want_ to move in because...well, being in a big family could be hectic" Ronnie Anne stated, "but then, I saw how much effort my grandparents and cousins put in to try and make me feel at home." She took out her phone and quickly brought up a picture of her new room.

Carlotta then explained that it used to be the hall closet for everyone's things. But since Ronnie Anne needed her own space, they emptied it out and decorated it with everything she liked. "It's awesome, kinda reminds me of _my_ room" Lincoln said suddenly, "only difference, I don't have a fire escape outside my window."

After everyone shared a good laugh at his words, Ronnie Anne went into detail of her new life in Great Lakes. She talked about her new crew, the skate park she goes to, she even mentioned how she was allowed to have hot dogs for breakfast from Bruno's Hot Dog Cart (every now and again.) "Hot dogs for breakfast...lucky" Chaz grumbled slightly, "big city life sounds really fun."

Ronnie Anne nodded in agreement, stating how things turned out better than she'd hoped; especially since she made a new best friend. "Her name's Sid, she's a bit overeager and excitable" she explained, "reminded me a bit of you, lame-o." Upon hearing this, Lincoln ceased sipping on his solo cup of cola and cast a mildly offended glance Ronnie Anne's way.

Then, he suddenly saw her looking rather depressed and his demeanor changed. "What's wrong, Ronnie Anne" Lincoln asked with concern, "are you sure things are alright back home." Realizing her change in behavior, Ronnie Anne shook her head vigorously and smiled at Lincoln softly. "Yeah...everything's cool" she murmured, "but there are some days where I start to feel...a little homesick, you know."

She went on to say how much she missed eating garlic knots at Gus', going to Flips for a drink, visiting the arcade. "But what I really miss...were all the times I'd used to ruffle your feathers, dude" Ronnie Anne giggled while lightly jabbing at his arm, "can't pull off the sort of jokes with my new pals like I did with you." This statement caused some of the parents to coo softly, thinking that Lincoln and Ronnie Anne must've been close; before she moved away.

Then, in an instant; an idea formed in Lincoln's head. "Hey, if ya don't mind my asking...how long do you and your cousin think will be in town" he asked suddenly, "I mean, I know you might have your own Spring Break plans and I don't want to get in the way of them." Upon hearing this, Ronnie Anne gave a light shrug and said that he wouldn't be disturbing anything.

Truthfully, aside from some amusing shenanigans back at the apartment; _her_ break had been rather tame. "I mean...I _would_ love to hang here longer but _Abuela _and my mom might get worried" she stated, "I couldn't even go downtown without half my family tailing me." This statement caused Carlotta to hide her face shyly, due to the fact she was part of that guilty party.

"Well, if not the remainder of Break; would you be able to join us for mini golf tomorrow" questioned Carol, "I mean...if your fam is okay with it." With that said, Ronnie Anne turned to her elder cousin; as if thinking _her _approval would effect whether or not she could stay. After a couple of seconds of silence, Carlotta smiled at her cousin and gave her a thumbs up.

"Sure, we could hang here for a day" she stated happily, "I'll just need to tell everyone back home about it first." No sooner had she said this, Carlotta took out her phone and typed away like a blur. Then, seconds later; she got a message from her mother sharing the family's approval.

"We're good to go, y'all" she declared joyfully, "I mean...mini golf's not _my_ kind of thing but I'm more than willing to hang back and supervise." The parents all voiced their approval in her wishes and welcomed her to the fold. Meanwhile, Lincoln couldn't help but smile at the scene; happy to have another friendly face standing with him.

(Scene Change: the Hole in One-derland Golf Course)

It was around noontime, the following day; when everyone arrived at the course. Along with Ronnie Anne; joining Lincoln was Chaz, Carol and her crew, Kat and Cici. As they approached the entrance, the ticket booth worker beamed when he saw Carol.

"Welcome back, O Queen of the Course" he said with a chuckle, "come to face more challengers today?" Carol shook her head with a soft smile and said that she came just to have some fun. "This crew here, they're all with me" she said while drawing out a card from her purse, "could you squeeze some of them in for a full day's walk around?"

At first, the man in the booth eyed the group in silence; almost suspiciously. Then, his demeanor quickly changed and happily welcomed everyone in. Lincoln and Co. thanked the man for his kindness and entered through the gate.

"Good luck on the course, everyone" he called out to them, "and remember; whoever makes the final hole gets into the Wall of Fame." Upon hearing this, Lincoln questioned what the "Wall of Fame" was. "First time playing her, huh" questioned Kat, "well...anyone who wins at the final hole gets their picture taken and added to the wall, it's no big deal."

The moment she said this, they suddenly found themselves passing the aforementioned wall. Lincoln gasped in awe at the amount of people that were featured in it. But he soon discovered that there was _one_ picture featured more frequently than others...Carol's.

"Wow, that's a lot of pictures" he murmured softly, "guess I understand why Lori feels challenged by your golfing skills." Carol gave a sly chuckle and dusted her knuckles off her hand, while leaning against her putter like a cane. "Lori is good, there's a reason why she made the varsity golf team in our Freshmen year" she admitted, "but...I'm one of the few who can stand equal to her."

Soon after, some of the others began talking about their own golf skills. While not quite on the same level as Carol's each one of them sounded equally impressive. This in turn, caused Lincoln feel a tad self-conscious and he soon began to drag his feet across the ground.

_"What am I doing here, these girls are pros and I'm...just me"_ he thought dejectedly, _"the last time I tried my hand at a sport, I got chased around the school for scoring at the wrong Football goal!"_ As his mind continued to race with these thoughts, he suddenly felt someone jab him in the arm; snapping him back into reality. It didn't take long for him to learn that said jab was Ronnie Anne's doing...and he was actually thankful it happened, for once.

"Having thoughts about the family again, dude" she asked casually, "don't worry about it, just focus on the game." Lincoln thanked her for the advice but admitted that his thoughts were on something different. "I'm worried about how I'll perform at this game" he muttered, "mini golf may be a lighter version of the original...but I'm still worried I might either whack myself in the leg with the putter or hit the ball so hard, it breaks one of the displays."

Suddenly; Lincoln became so worried about the game, he started hyperventilating. When she saw this, Dana rushed over and handed him a paper bag saved from yesterday's picnic; with which Lincoln proceeded to try and slow down his breathing. The moment he calmed down, some of the older gals questioned what happened.

"Long story short, he's worried he'll screw up during the game" Ronnie Anne said, "as I recall, he was never much for sports." Carol nodded slightly in understanding and explained that there was no shame in admitting one's inability to play any kind of sport. "When I first started golfing, I accidentally hit the grass with my club instead of the ball" she stated, "said grass was sent flying into someone's face."

It took all the restraint Lincoln had not to laugh at her story. The same couldn't be said for Becky, Dana and Whitney; who all laughed uproariously. "Laugh it up, gals; laugh it up" grumbled Carol, "my point is...we all screw up, sometimes but it's important to pick yourself up and try again." While Lincoln couldn't deny the truth of her words, his memory recalled hearing something different.

"Funny; my sister, Lynn would say otherwise" her murmured, "she thinks anytime somebody screws up on the field, it's a sign of weakness or failure to follow the game plan." This statement caused everyone to chuckle sarcastically, mostly out of disappointment for Lynn's poor sportsmanship. "Sounds like your sister's a bit of a bad sport" Ronnie Anne interjected, "I fall on my face some of the time, when I'm skating yet never think less of myself for it."

Hearing her story made Lincoln feel a sliver of optimism well up inside. "The point is playing games or a sport is all about the fun" she added, "even if you might lose in the end." Hearing these words filled Lincoln with a newfound sense of confidence. Now, he was getting excited to try his hand at golf.

"Just remember that if you have a problem, we'll help you out" Becky assured, "but something tells me you'll be fine." With that said, everyone did a quick "hands in the middle" cheer and went off towards the first hole.

(Line Break)

All was quiet, moments later; save for the sound of a mini windmill spinning on in the breeze. At the first hole of the course, Carol was the first to play. The next moment or so was spent with her positioning herself appropriately and steadying her arms.

At first glance, the whole process looked a little odd to Lincoln. "Are all those poses necessary" he asked curiously, "I thought the game was all about hitting the ball into the hole." Chaz smiled at his mild naivety and assured him there was more to the game than that.

"Golf isn't _just_ about getting the ball in the hole, my man" he stated, "it all comes down to _how_ you do it." Dana nodded in agreement with her brother's words and added how sometimes, even hitting a ball straight won't guarantee a hole in one. "In mini golf specifically, it's all about finding the right angle to hit the ball in" she explained, "or how hard you strike it."

Even after hearing this explanation, Lincoln still appeared confused. This brought Ronnie Anne to instruct him to watch how Carol did things, which he complied. As silence fell over the hole, once again; Carol had, at last positioned herself in just the right way.

After giving a slight shimmy of her hips, she moved back her club slightly and gave the ball a swift "whack!" The ball sailed forward at a reasonable pace, just barely missing the windmill's blades. After passing through the other side, the ball rolled down the ramp and headed straight for the hole.

But then, at the last second; it brushed the left side of the hole and moved passed it. "Too bad, Carol" Lincoln said softly, "you almost got it; maybe, next time." Then, at that moment; the ball bounced off the brick barrier and came rolling back.

Lincoln watched with stunned silence, as the ball slowly edged its way into the hole. Everyone let out soft cheers of victory, while Lincoln's jaw dropped with surprise. "It's like I told ya, Linky" Carol giggled, "it's not about how hard you hit the ball...it's _how_ you get it in the hole."

With his jaw still hanging open, Lincoln nodded silently in understanding before Dana readied _her_ shot next. Unlike Carol however, she missed the hole by three inches...but it didn't bother her. After lining up the angle between her ball and the hole with her club, Dana took her second swing.

This time; the ball sailed straight into the hole, granting Dana a two stroke score. Next came Becky, then Ronnie Anne and finally Whitney; leaving Lincoln as the last one to play the hole. As he set his ball down, the boy began to feel quite nervous. That was when an idea came to him, like a flash.

Whenever each of his sisters felt anxiety during _their_ events, each of them had certain relaxation techniques to help them calm down; more specifically Luna and Lola's. _"Okay...I think Luna uses a mantra, whenever _she _gets nervous" _he thought to himself, _"what was was the one _Lori_ came up with, though...OH, yeah! 'Don't overthink it, relax and sink it.'"_ As Lincoln kept thinking this phrase over and over in his head, his thinking began to clear up slightly.

However, there was _still_ the matter of his rapid heart rate and shallow breathing; which made it difficult for him to focus. That was when he remembered Lola's "4-7-8 Method;" breathe in for four seconds, hold in for seven and exhale for eight. With this in mind, Lincoln began to do just that. Meanwhile, everyone else watched Lincoln breathing with confused stares.

"Yo, dude; you gonna play or what" Ronnie Anne called out, "you're breathing's kinda weirding me out." After a third set of breathing techniques, Lincoln felt much calmer and smiled at his friends. "So sorry, everybody" he said apologetically, "just needed to get my head on straight."

After that; he lined himself up just right, stood straight, eased his arms and gave his ball a good tap. It went up the ramp, cleared the windmill's blades (much to his relief) and went out the other side. Everyone watched with baited breath, as the ball slinked ever-so slowly towards the rim of the hole. Then, at the last second; it stopped just as it arrived at the edge.

Despite this, Lincoln felt moderately proud in how he managed to suppress his anxiety enough to make the shot. Still, he _was_ hoping on a hole in one. Then; just as Lincoln let out a soft sigh, the ball suddenly tipped over and fell into the hole.

Everyone cheered at this victory, even Lincoln; in spite of his initial shock. "Not bad, little man...for your first shot" Chaz stated, "let's hope you'll have the same luck on the remaining seventeen." Lincoln thanked his comrade for his bode of confidence and the gang proceeded off to the next hole.

Hole two had a few bumps along its path, both figuratively _and_ literally. But in spite of them, each player managed to get their ball close enough to the hole. When Lincoln came up to try; he hit his ball so hard, it flew over one of the hill bumps.

He yelped a little in shock, as the ball soared slightly in the air. But then; two or three seconds later, it fell down and landed just six inches away from the hole. "Phew! For a minute, I thought it was gonna fly up and hit somebody" he sighed with relief while addressing the viewer, "hope I'll get it in next time."

Using the same measuring method Dana used, Lincoln lined his ball up with the distance of the hole. After studying it for ten seconds, he had the right idea of how to approach it. _"Just give it a good tap, dude; like you'd do with a billiard ball" _Lincoln thought to himself, _"nothing fancy...just tap it in."_

After doing the 4-7-8 method again, he eased his arms back and tapped the ball. It rolled and rolled for several seconds...until it stopped at the rim; barely teetering on it. This caused everyone to suddenly hold their breath, as if they'd witnessed a jump scare scene in a movie.

Then, after what felt like an eternity of waiting...the ball fell over into the hole. Lincoln couldn't help but heave out a sigh of relief, after seeing this happen. "Whoever said golf was relaxing must've never played" he murmured, "am I the only one who gets antsy whenever the ball nears the hole?"

Carol giggled softly at him and assured Lincoln that everybody faces that sort of thing. "The first time I was faced with such a tense moment during a game, I passed out from shock; after the ball fell in the hole" she stated, "took me two minutes to wake up." The other girls giggled softly, while Whitney showed him a picture she took of the moment in question.

Lincoln couldn't help but laugh slightly, upon seeing the picture. But then, it was suddenly interrupted by a series of light coughs. "You okay, Lincoln" Carlotta asked worriedly, "need a sip of water or something?" Lincoln quickly held up his hand in a "give me a second" gesture, before resuming his coughing.

Finally, much to the mild disgust of the others; Lincoln reached into his mouth and pulled out what was choking him slightly. "It...It looks like a hair" he mumbled both in confusion and displeasure, "and it's a blonde one." It was in that moment he realized how the hair got in his mouth.

While trying to hide from his sisters in the shed, Lincoln's face was pressed up against Whitney's incredibly poofy hair. No sooner had they all got out, Lincoln found himself tasting some of that hair in his mouth. Yet, after so much time had passed; Lincoln thought he had cleared every hair out of him.

"Sorry about that, everybody" Lincoln mumbled while clearing his throat, "I have no idea how that got in there." Whitney meanwhile began to blush deeply in embarrassment and did her best to smooth out her hair. But alas, her efforts proved fruitless and it suddenly "sproinged" back into place.

"Ah, dang it...I _hate_ my hair" she grumbles, "first a comb gets stuck in it at the spa and now it gets in my friend's mouth...maybe I should just cut it off completely." This idea caused the ladies (sans Ronnie Anne) to gasp in alarm and beg her to reconsider. "Don't even joke like that, Whit" Becky chastised, "you have adorable hair, be proud of it."

No sooner had they started their conversation, Lincoln joined in; proclaiming that they were the "lucky ones." "You gals have beautiful normal hairstyles" he stated while giving himself an eye roll, "meanwhile, I'm the only kid in town who gets mistaken for a short old man; due to _my_ hair color." This caused Ronnie Anne to raise her hand while giggling, admitting that she herself once made the same mistake others did.

"Excuse me, ladies; I don't wish to seem rude" Chaz interjected, "but Chaz would like to move the game along before it gets too late." Upon realizing they had almost got themselves distracted, the ladies collected their clubs and went on to the next hole; with Lincoln in tow. Forty-five minutes passed since the game began and the crew was more than midway through the course.

They stopped for a bit for some lunch and to share some stories, around 12:30. Then, they went on to the rest of the course; eager to get things moving again. The next hole was a statue modeled in the likeness of a Brontosaurus.

All players were challenged to hit the ball through a hole in the tip of its tail, which would travel up its back and out of its mouth. "Looks simple enough" Lincoln stated, "I just hope we'll all be able to get our balls up the tail ramp, let alone get them in the hole." Everyone smiled confidently, happy to take the challenge.

Carol, Becky and Dana were able to get their balls up and out of the brontosaur. But they each failed to land into the hole, upon exiting the mouth. Regardless, Becky and Carol managed to get two strokes in; while Dana got three.

Chaz was next to play and he managed to hit the ball hard enough to go all the way over the dino. But when it left the mouth, it bounced over the bricks and landed inside of a small flower bed. "Oops! Out of bounds" he exclaimed, "don't worry, Chaz has it covered."

With that, he walked past the hole and over towards the flowers; collecting the ball in his hand. "Not so fast, Bro" Dana called out suddenly, "you know the rules, 'always play the ball where it lies.'" Shocked by this news, Chaz prepared to urge his sister to reconsider the idea; due to where his ball landed.

"Normally, I'd go along with the rules; especially when playing a game like this" Lincoln stated, "but if Chaz were to try and hit the ball _there_, he might risk damaging the plants." Before Dana could argue; Lincoln added that if the plants _were_ damaged, Chaz probably wouldn't be the only one to get in trouble over it. Dana stood in place, for a few seconds; mentally considering her options.

Finally; with a reluctant sigh, she relented and allowed Chaz to try his shot again. "But remember...wherever else the ball lands, you must hit it from there" Dana said firmly, "are we good on that?" Everyone gave a nod of agreement, even Chaz; who still relished in getting a second try at the hole. After placing his ball back at the putting spot, he steadied himself for a few seconds and gave it a good smack.

Once more, it traveled up along the dinosaur's back and off its head. The moment the ball landed on the green, it bounced off the ground three times; before it landed smack into the hole. "HA! Looks like Lady Luck is smilin' at me" Chaz chuckled, "hope the rest of you have the same luck."

Dana did her best to remain a good sport and not call her brother a "cheater." But that didn't stop her from secretly glaring daggers at him. The next hole was a model version of what looked like London Bridge.

The green path stretched all the way down the length of the bridge, where two small steps were seen on the opposite end. After that, everyone spotted the hole on the other side. Seemed simple enough; hit the ball straight forward and try to nail a hole in one, right?

Sadly; as the saying goes, appearances are deceiving. In this case, the bridge stretched over a small pool of shallow water. It wasn't that big of an issue, in actuality...but it still proved a bit of an annoying water hazard; especially if the ball stopped midway through. This would mean a player would have to stand on either side and try to tap their ball down the rest of the way.

For some like Chaz, Lincoln and Ronnie Anne; it didn't seem like that big a deal. But for gals like Carol or Dana, the idea of their feet getting wet made them feel a little uncomfortable. Regardless, everyone stood single file and prepped themselves for the challenge ahead.

Becky and Carol managed to pass over the bridge well enough. But they each missed the hole, as soon as their balls went over to the other side. Dana almost lost her ball in the pool...but at the last moment, it bounced safely down the steps on the opposite end.

Whitney was the next to try...but unfortunately, _her_ ball stopped midway down the bridge path. This meant that she would have to stand in the pond water and knock the ball down the rest of the way. _"Dang it...why did I choose to wear sandals today"_ she thought to herself dejectedly, _"I just hope that water's clean."_

With a soft shudder, Whitney dipped her toes into the middle part of the left pool and readied herself for her swing. With the greatest of care, she tapped her ball swiftly and it sailed down the rest of the way. Then, much to her joy; it landed square in the hole.

"YES! That was totally worth standing in cold water for" she cheered, "that being said...I'm throwing these socks and sandals _straight_ in the dryer, when I get home." Everyone shared a good laugh at this, before Ronnie Anne took her place at the starting point. After adjusting her grip and relaxing her arms a smidge, she gave her ball a swing and sent it flying straight ahead.

The ball landed on the green, seconds later and skidded over towards the edge of the hole. Then...it stopped and was left hovering slightly on the spot. For a moment, it seemed like the turn was over.

But after Ronnie Anne cleared her throat, that minor disturbance seemed to cause the ball to fall into the hole. "Nice one, _prima_" cried Carlotta with delight, "you're almost on the same score level as Carol and Lincoln." This bit of news caused the young Latina to smile slyly at the two players in question.

"Hear that, y'all...I'm catching up" Ronnie Anne boasted, "so, best watch your backs." While the others simply rolled their eyes at her, Lincoln couldn't help but smile warmly; thinking just how pleasant it was that she was still the same delightful rabble-rouser she knew from school. _"I really missed seeing her like this"_ Lincoln thought to himself, _"having Ronnie Anne here just made this day all the better."_

In time, everyone played through all the remaining holes. In time, everyone reached the final hole; which was a ramp modeled in the likeness of a rainbow. Should players make it to the top, the ball would then travel down a descending ramp and (hopefully) land their balls into a pot of gold at the bottom of the other ramp.

"You girls remember what you said earlier about how it's how you get the ball in the hole, not how hard you hit it" questioned Lincoln, earning a nod from each of the older gals; "well, looks like there's been a change in strategy here." With this statement, everyone began to feel quite nervous. They didn't know what troubled them most; them feeling angry if they lost or possibility of appearing foolish in front of everyone, if they missed.

"If anyone has any pointers on how to win this hole, I'm open for them" Ronnie Anne murmured, "I'm even okay with the cliché stuff...like it's not whether you win or lose...yadda yadda." Upon hearing his, Lincoln's mind brain surged with an idea and he quickly called for a huddle. "I may have a couple of pointers, everybody" he stated, "the first is something called the 4-7-8 Method."

Upon saying this, everyone stared blankly at him; as if he had grown extra eyes or another head. "No disrespect, my friend" Chaz muttered, "but Chaz ain't heard of no '4-7-8 Method' before." Everyone else muttered in unison, all agreeing how _they've_ never heard of it either.

Lincoln nodded slightly in understanding and proceeded to explain the method himself via a demonstration. "It's actually a carefully timed breathing method" he stated, "first...you inhale for four seconds, then hold it for seven and slowly exhale for eight." As his demonstration began, everyone watched Lincoln's breathing patterns very intently.

"After doing _that_, your mind should feel less foggy and full of distracting thoughts" he explained, "plus...it helps keep your heart rate steady and calm." Everyone nodded in understanding and began doing the same breathing technique. After a while, everyone's expressions appeared more relaxed.

Yet, a small shadow of doubt lingered over their heads; like a sort of rain cloud. "Got any other pearls of wisdom, Linky" questioned Carol, "and best think quick, there are some people heading over here to play this hole." Upon seeing the patrons nearing their location, Lincoln quickly offered them his mantra "don't over-think it, relax...and sink it."

After hearing this mantra, each one of them repeated it to themselves softly in a repetitious manner. After a minute, everyone began to feel much calmer. "Good advice there, buddy" Whitney said with glee, "I'm actually anxious to play this hole." Everyone else muttered in agreement and quickly got up in line to play again.

"You know what, gals...I think Lincoln should go first" Carol suggested, "we owe it to him, for helping us clear our heads." The moment he heard this, Lincoln couldn't help but blush bashfully. "No way, gals; you go ahead of me; I insist" he stated, "after all, it's the civil thing to do."

While hearing him offer up the idea of him going last _was_ indeed, admirable. It all made Ronnie Anne (and those behind her group) feel a smidgen impatient. "How about this; after we use Lincoln's calming methods, we all hit our balls at the same time" she offered, "does that seem fair to everybody."

The group thought it over for a bit and then, everyone came to a unanimous agreement (even Lincoln.) "Sounds like a good plan to me, Santiago" Dana chuckled, "best line up, then!" With that said; everyone lined themselves up, steadied their arms, gave a slight hip wiggle and struck their balls.

The gals and guys watched in silence, as their balls traveled up the rainbow ram and stop at the top for a few seconds. Then, each ball found its way down the other ramp and sped downward at a rapid rate. The fact the ramp was quite narrow made things especially nerve-wracking.

This meant that with all their balls traveling at once, Lincoln and his crew's chances at winning the game were made slightly slimmer. Faster and faster they went down the ramp, inching ever closer to the end. Lincoln began to grow so nervous, his shirt was starting to stain...but he didn't care; at the moment.

Finally, the balls reached the end of the ramp; which was aimed upwards slightly like a ski jump. They each flew up into the air for three seconds before descending down towards the pot of gold below. It wasn't quite that small; in truth, it was as wide as a sauce pot.

But it was still rather easy to miss, if one didn't hit the ball correctly. All time seemed to slow down, as the balls traveled further down. The first to land was Chaz's, which seemed to bounce off the rim of the pot and onto the grass beneath it.

The boy grunted slightly in frustration and took a seat beside Carlotta. Next, Dana's ball missed the rim by three inches and joined her brother's below. Becky's ball skidded around the rim for a second, before it teetered off the side.

Whitney's ball, much to her surprise, bounced off the rim and hit the wall; before in fell down into the grassy pit below. She came close to becoming frustrated...but then, she quickly utilized the breathing method Lincoln told her. After a while, she calmed down enough to join her other defeated friends on the sidelines.

Only three balls remained; Carol, Lincoln and Ronnie Anne's. Much to each of their surprise, the balls landed on the rim of the pot of gold and proceeded to spin it; like a basketball would on the hoop. Each of them exhibited nervousness in their own ways.

Carol came close to biting on her nails, Lincoln's shirt was now on the verge of becoming like a wash towel (due to his nervous sweating) and Ronnie Anne's teeth began to chatter. Finally, the balls ceased spinning and suddenly dipped down into the hole. The moment that happened, the rainbow lit up and Irish jig music began to play.

After each of them let out a deep sigh of relief, Carol prepared to envelope the two preteens in a big victory hug. But when she saw how sweated up Lincoln was, she held back on it. "Heh...sorry, Carol" murmured Lincoln in shame, "this always happens whenever I'm nervous."

Carol smiled at him, assured the boy he had nothing to worry about and quickly brought out something from her travel bag; one of Lincoln's orange shirts. "I brought along one of the shirts you brought over from when you bunked with me" she explained, "after what happened at Gus', I thought it would be necessary." Lincoln nodded in agreement, thanked Carol for thinking ahead and proceeded behind one of the hole statues to hide himself.

After a quick change, he went back over to the group; where he saw a stranger shaking Carol's hand. He was a burly fellow with ash-grey hair, a mustache of the same color and was dressed in a semi-formal suit. "Congratulations, you three got your balls in the pot" he said with great pride, "therefore, as owner of this course; I award each of you with a free game of golf here at Hole-in-Onederland!"

The trio jumped and cheered wildly with glee at this news, happy to have won. "Furthermore, each of you shall have your pictures taken and hung up on our Wall of Fame" he added, "how does _that _sound, youngins?" For a moment, Lincoln relished in his victory; for it was one of the rare times he had ever legitimately won a game at any sport.

Although, if a certain jock were present; she might argue that golf shouldn't really count as a "true sport." But he quickly pushed that thought right out of his head and focused on the moment at hand. Then, he looked ahead at his other pals and saw the looks of disappointment on their faces.

Today had been a blast for Lincoln...but seeing such disappointment in his friends' faces made the victory feel slightly bitter. Then, he suddenly got an idea; one that he quickly shared with Carol and Ronnie Anne. After a quick huddle and some whispers, the trio broke apart and approached the owner.

"We'll happily accept the free games, Sir and thank you for awarding them to us" Lincoln stated, "but as for the pictures...I'm afraid, the three of us might be willing to decline the idea." The owner stood flabbergasted at the boy and asked why he went with this decision. To which Carol quickly stepped forward and gestured at their friends.

"We humbly request that you allow us to take a _group_ photo for the Wall of Fame" Carol insisted, "it goes without saying that each of us was equally good, during the game and should be recognized as such." For a moment or so, the owner said nothing; all everyone saw him do was scratch his chin in thought. Then, the trio suddenly heard him muttering to himself; which made them nervous.

"I must say, youngins; this is unprecedented" he admitted, "never before have we seen such sportsmanship here at Hole-in-Onederland...it's quite commendable." This filled the kids with hope and they asked if he was actually considering at fulfilling their request? "Hey, now; I also say this situation is unprecedented because no one's made such a request before" he said firmly, "as such, doing so might be a tad unfair for the other patrons."

Upon hearing this, Lincoln and the girls hung their heads slightly; realizing the truth behind their wish. But then, the man smiled at them and agreed to go along with their request...just this once. "But I will only do it because Carol is one of my best players here" he implied, "and you three are bein' good sports in wantin' to share the glory with everybody."

Everyone else overheard this news, smiled brightly and began to cheer with great joy. Moments later, everyone stood together in a group in the club and ball pickup area; where a cameraman was prepping to take their photo. "Okay now, everybody" Carol instructed, "everybody say 'best golf game ever!"

Everyone echoed the aforementioned words before the camera suddenly flashed. Then, the man tapped on his phone and sent the photo over to the main computer. One print out later and the photo was revealed; then, it was placed on a small frame shaped like a star and was hung up on the wall.

"Wow! A great end to an even greater day" Lincoln sighed, "a pity that everyone else couldn't make it...what happened to them?" For a moment, nobody offered to answer; afraid that the potential reveal might upset Lincoln. It wasn't until Ronnie Anne also voiced her desire for answers that Carol, much to her dismay, relented.

"Truth is, Linky; everyone else chose to stay at home because they were still a little...frazzled" she explained, "the incident at the picnic yesterday did quite a number on them, emotionally speaking." Lincoln gulped slightly with shock, suddenly understanding the reason for their absence. He was also a little nervous about something else, something that nagged at him all week.

"First of all, Carol...thank you and everyone else involved for giving me such a wonderful Spring Break" he stated, "this has all been the most fun I've had yet!" Touched by his words, the ladies all hugged Lincoln lovingly; telling him they'd always be there for a friend. "But I'm serious; after everything that's happened, I'm humbled y'all are still being so nice to me" he stated, "there are moments where I fear I might wake up and find myself back in my room...back in the chaos of my sisters' fight."

Now; normally, it was against Ronnie Anne's nature to show any signs of "sissy" behavior; hugging, warm words, tearful statements etc. But after seeing the actions of her friend's family and how flustered it all made him feel, she realized he was in great need of it. "Don't worry, dude" she assured him, "we've got your back, the next time the sisters get on yours."

Lincoln smiled slightly at his friend's comment, knowing how she would have his back; whenever he needed help. It reminded him of just why he came to like her, after so long. At that moment, Carol quickly disrupted the moment with a soft clearing of the throat.

"First of all, Linky; this is no dream" she said with a wink, "second; if it were, _my_ dreams would have me surrounded by the most beautiful clothes ever made." Hearing this caused Ronnie Anne to roll her eyes slightly, thinking how she must be a sort of Lori clone. Quickly snapping back to reality; Carol regained her composure and looked at Lincoln seriously, once again.

"Third of all, I'd like to know where you learned those techniques from" she asked curiously, "without them; none of this would've been possible. At first, Lincoln hesitated; unsure of how to tell them all the truth...or if he even _should_ tell them. But almost instantly, he realized that they hadn't judged him for being honest before.

So, he found no reason to deny the truth from his friends now. "Truth is, Carol" he began, "those techniques, they...they were often used by my sisters!" Everyone gasped softly at the sudden reveal, mostly because after everything that happened; they didn't think Lincoln had positive memories about his sisters anymore.

Upon seeing their confusion, the boy in question decided to explain further. "My sister, Luna taught the mantra thing to Lori; when she was having 'the yips' during the time she was meeting with the head of her dream school" he stated, "Lori came up with 'don't overthink it, relax and sink it,' while Luna's was more 'don't fret, just play your set.'" Before continuing, Lincoln gazed at his friends and saw how they were listening to his every word.

Before he began, he feared that they would all call "shenanigans" on his statement. But he was happy to see that they believed what he had to say. "As for...the breathing thing, that was something Lola came up with" Lincoln said with a soft smile, "believe it or not, even _she_ gets nervous about entering certain pageants...mostly out of the fear of losing."

It was then that Carol recalled something Lori once told her, long ago. She had to cover for her parents as Lola's chaperone, while they were away. "As I recall, Lori seemed more invested in the spa package her parents included than the coaching thing" Carol murmured, "but then...later on, she helped Lola get her confidence back." Lincoln nodded at both of her responses, signaling that she was right.

"I also seem to remember her saying how _you_ swept in to save the day" Dana interjected, "a regular 'knight in shining armor' moment." Lincoln blushed shyly at the comment and retorted in saying that the day wasn't "saved," as she presumed. "Truth is, even after I came in and provided the necessary final touch ups...Lola still lost" he murmured softly, "but Lola managed to take the 'L" with grace...surprisingly."

The girls all cooed softly at his story, even Ronnie Anne felt a little touched by it. "You know...it's funny" she chuckled suddenly, "even after all that's happened, you still find ways to think positively about your sisters." The others voiced their agreement to Ronnie Anne's words, saying how they were also quite surprised.

"Well...you know, even though they've all done me some wrong; I...I still love them" he mumbled, "I know that might seem weird or wrong to you guys...but it's the truth." At first, he expected everyone to laugh at him. But for the second time that day, the ladies all wrapped him in a group hug; while Ronnie Anne simply gave him a loving pat on the back.

"It's not silly _or_ wrong to think that way, Linky" Dana assured, "it just shows how much hope you have for things between you and your family to be like they used to." Carol seconded her friend's words, adding that his feelings proved how loving of a person Lincoln truly was. "Truth be told, if it were one of us...well, it would take a _lot_ for the family to win us back" she stated, "but you, Lincoln...you try to see the best in people, even when they're at their worst."

Upon hearing this, Ronnie Anne fully agreed to Carol's words; recalling how much of a different person she once was. Lincoln felt touched by everyone's words, for they helped blow away some of the clouds of doubt hanging over his head. "I just hope things will be normal again soon" he confessed, "I don't think I can take worrying about their fighting for much longer.

Upon sensing the worry emanating from her young friend, Carol knelt down and rested her hand reassuringly on his shoulder. "You needn't worry about your family coming and causing us anymore trouble" she assured, "even after they leave the Cooler at the prison...they'll be met with an unexpected surprise." The moment he heard these words, Lincoln couldn't help but feel a twinge of worry well up inside of him.

For now, he could only hope that his family will hold their own against whatever Fate had in store for them.

(AN: Uh-oh...now _this_ is one heck of a cliffhanger to leave off on. What type of surprise do you think the Louds will find at the prison, folks? Tune in next time, to find out.)

(Second AN: The mantra thing and the 4-7-8 Method are all Easter Eggs from the episode, Driving Ambition. Lori was the one who would say "Don't overthink it, relax and sink it," after hearing Luna's story. While the 4-7-8 breathing technique was something Lola did.

Another Easter egg was the reference to the Gown and Out episode, namely Lincoln recalling how nervous Lola was about losing and talking about how he helped her prepare. I figured these things would not only help Lincoln and everyone else calm down during the game. But I also wanted to give Lincoln some more positive memories of his family to fall back on, to counteract the negative vibes he's been feeling after past events.

This sort of thing will have an important role to play, in a future chapter; be certain of that.)


	16. Chapter Fifteen: Surprises and Summons

Surprises and Summons

As we leave our heroes for the moment, our story now takes us to the Royal Woods Prison; where the rest of the family is held. After the incident at the park, the Loud Family was quickly brought here for questioning by Officer Schoffner. Upon arriving, the family was placed within the Cooler; a cell where rather...unstable suspects were held until further notice.

The one that was immediately spared however, from incarceration was little Lily. As a baby, she had no hand in the whole situation her family caused with her older brother and was thus left under Schoffner's watch; for the moment. Much to the police woman's surprise, Lily was actually quite calm around her.

_"It's amazing how well-behaved this kid's being"_ she thought to herself, _"I was worried her elder sisters' behavior might've passed on to her."_ As the hours passed, none of the other Loud Family members had spoken a word since their arrival.

Yet, in spite of the silence; the expressions on each family member's face spoke volumes. Rita and Lynn Sr. hung their heads low with shame, Luna's frown hung so low that it could touch the floor, Luan (for the first time in her life) felt more like a crying clown than a _happy _one. The twins (Lana and Lola) lay huddled together, after having cried themselves to sleep just hours ago.

Lucy's mind was so distraught that she wished she could return home and lock herself in one of her coffins forever. Lisa, despite her claims of being "detached from inane human emotions," struggled to hold back her tears and poor Leni cried for so long; her face almost turned black from her mascara running. For forty minutes, not one of them dared to speak a word; fearing that doing so would restart the fighting all over again.

Then, the cell door suddenly opened; which caused the family to suddenly shoot up in surprise. Almost a second later, Officer Schoffner entered with a clipboard in her hands. Almost immediately, Rita asked if Lily was doing well.

"You're baby is fine, Ma'am; do not worry" the policewoman said stoically, "in the meantime, I'm here to talk about the rest of you." Before Schoffner could speak so much as a syllable; Leni, Lana, Lola and Luna quickly fell at her feet and started sobbing loudly. "Please, Ma'am; we didn't cause that scene at the park" Lola wailed, "it was my big sister, _SHE'S_ the one responsible...she started this whole thing, leave _her_ in here!"

Upon hearing this confession, Lori shot up from the cot and snarled softly. "Why you little _TATTLETALE_" she shouted, "this is just as much _your_ fault as it was _mine_!" This caused Leni to scoff bitterly, which took the family by complete surprise.

"Really, Lori; is that how you _really_ remember it" she asked with venom in her tone, "as _I_ recall, this all started because _you_ got mad at me after you lost that silly golf game!" This little reveal piqued Officer Schoffner's interest and she began to take some small notes. Meanwhile, Lori was burning with rage due to her sister's comment towards her passion.

"It wasn't a 'silly golf game,' you ninny" she yelled loudly, "it was the town championship, whoever won would enter into the All-State Open!" Lori went on to say that she was determined to try and become the first woman in Michigan to enter the Open. So; for her, it was quite the big deal.

"So, you lost a silly golf game...big whoop" grumbled Lynn Jr., "that was no reason to drag the rest of us down into your little fight." Upon hearing her say this; Leni glared at her younger sister with such fire in her eyes, it actually made her squirm a little. "Don't you dare say that, you hippo crate...or whatever the word is" she hissed viciously, "you're another one who acts like if you lose at something, the world will end!"

At first, some of them felt the slight urge to remind Leni that the word was _hypocrite_ and not "hippo crate;" as she put it. But because of her sudden show of anger, a lot of them felt too nervous to speak. "Of all of us, you and Lori _deserve_ to rot in here" she growled, "because of your bad attitudes and how you treat us, we may have lost our only brother's love forever!"

Before the fighting could escalate further, Officer Schoffner quickly intervened and called for silence. "It doesn't matter who caused what to happen, people" she said firmly, "what _does_ matter is that the town is finally catching wind of your actions and wish for justice to be served." Upon hearing this, the family began to dread what Fate had in store for them.

"However...since many of you seem to genuinely regret your past actions, I'm willing to be...a little lenient" she stated, "there's someone here who has managed to convince me in letting you out early." The family gasped with shock at this news, thinking that things may be looking up for them. But then, they began to wonder just _who_ it was that came to see them; let alone want them out of jail.

"All due respect, Officer; who would come and help _us_" questioned Rita, "all of Royal Woods wants our heads on spikes...who would want to bail us out?" Soon after she said this, her ears were greeted by a soft yet familiar voice. _"Don't count the entire town out just yet, dear" _the voice chuckled softly, _"in one or two small corners, you may have some friends to count on."_

Despite feeling tired, sore and the fact that their hearts racked with guilt (along with some other negative emotions;) this voice suddenly filled the family with a great deal of hope. Slowly, Rita raised her head up and gazed over at the doorway leading to the lobby. There, she was greeted by a friendly face; Albert, her father and the children's grandfather (whom they've dubbed Pop-Pop.

With a joyful squeal and tears in her eyes, the woman raced gleefully into her father's arms. "DAD! How...What are you doing here" she cried, "how did you know where to find us?" Upon saying this, Officer Schoffner interjected by saying it was customary for officers to notify the families of those they've apprehended.

"Truthfully, though...despite your number of kids; you don't seem to have many existing family members" Schoffner said matter-of-factly, "on Mr. Loud's side, it was difficult to get in touch with _his_ father and I was informed that your aunt was out of town, when a neighbor answered her phone." Lynn Sr. suddenly hissed at himself, before he quickly facepalmed his forehead in bitter annoyance. Before the girls' fight started, he got a call from Shirley saying she'd be out of town for Spring Break.

As for his father...well; due to his hippie lifestyle, his tech was (what Lori would consider) low-grade. He owned a traditional push-button phone, an old PC computer from the 80's and an old television (the sort that still have what they call a "fat back.") With all this in mind, it would be a miracle if the man hadn't learned of his son's current situation.

"With those options a bust; I was left with no other alternative but to call your _wife's_ side of the family, Mr. Loud" muttered Officer Schoffner, "although, getting in touch with her Aunt Ruth was...difficult." This was no surprise to the family, not even to Rita. Due to how poorly she lived and how unhealthy she looked, it was a miracle Ruth was still alive these days.

"This left me with only one person left to call, her father" Officer Schoffner stated, "truthfully, though...I hesitated to do so, at first; due to current circumstances and all." The family couldn't help but agree with the policewoman. Despite being very active, energetic and capable for his age; Albert was still an old man.

As such, it was a miracle that he didn't have a heart attack; after learning that his family was in jail. But they were willing to bet he may have had a few conniptions, before coming over. Soon, the room fell into a deathly silence; one so quiet that you could hear the fluttering of a moth's wings.

No one dared to speak a word...for they were too afraid of what might be said. Finally; after what felt like ages, Rita cleared her throat and faced her father. "Nice to see you again, Dad" she murmured while hugging Albert tightly, "wish the present circumstances were different for your visit.

The moment she said this; almost instantly, the man's demeanor suddenly changed from joyful, to grim. "About that, Rita; I've been meaning to ask you some questions" he muttered softly, "like...what in the NAME OF ALL THAT'S SACRED TO HUMANITY HAS HAPPENED WITH YOUR FAMILY LATELY?!" To say that the Louds were taken aback by this sudden outburst would be a _gross_ understatement.

"I mean...I can't even begin to tell you the kind of morning I had" he grumbled with disgust, "one moment; I'm at the home, playin' cards with Seymour and Scoots. The next thing I know...I get a call from the pokey, telling me that you and the whole family are locked up!" Upon hearing his recollection, the family suddenly felt themselves shrink with shame. They also could not believe their current situation.

After Albert finished his sentence; silence fell over the room, once again. Then, after he took a seat in a nearby chair; Officer Schoffner offered him some coffee. Albert happily accepted the offer and took a sip from the cup, before continuing.

"That's just the tip of the iceberg, though" he said unemotionally, "I haven't even told you the stuff Myrtle's been seeing on the news lately." No sooner had he said this, Albert asked Officer Schoffner to bring him something from the main lobby. She agreed, walked out the door to her front desk and came back with a folded newspaper in her hands.

_"Oh...bogus, I can just imagine what that thing says"_ Luna thought fearfully, _"I didn't think anyone still read newspapers anymore."_ As he unfolded the paper, Albert began to read the text aloud to his family. While doing so, he used a strong tone in his voice to emphasize the absurdity of some of the events it mentioned.

"'While under the care of his newfound friend, young Lincoln Loud spoke of many of the chaotic situations his family often created'" he muttered while reading, "'among these situations were _USING HIM AS A 'TRAINING DUMMY, BLACKMAIL, NUMEROUS HOSTILE THREATS TO HIS PERSON AND PURPOSEFULLY LOCKING HIM OUT OF THE HOUSE!'"_ After reading the last example within the paragraph, poor Albert shook his head shamefully and pinched at his temples. Afterwards, he proceeded to question the family _their_ side of the story.

"I'm particularly eager to hear the explanation behind why you locked him out of the house, on the one occasion" Officer Schoffner interjected suddenly, "bear in mind that whatever you _do_ say, it will still be looked at as a form of child neglect." After this was said, Lynn Jr. suddenly threw herself at the cell bars and furiously protested her "innocence." "We had a good reason for doing that" she shouted, "the twerp made us think he was bad luck, we had to teach him a lesson!"

Alas, her words fell onto deaf ears and her Pop-Pop only shook her head in shame at her. "There is no such thing as luck, dear" he muttered, "there's only chance and there's always a chance you'll lose at something, no matter who's with you." Soon after, Officer Schoffner began prodding the family for answers; expecting to learn what sort of "lesson" they wanted to teach their son and brother.

"Well...you see, Officer; it's like this" Lynn Sr. mumbled sheepishly, "my...m-my son...he...he l-lied about having bad luck, just so he could have 'private time' at home." No sooner had he said this, Lynn could feel his brain screaming loudly at him for his stupidity. It seemed that the officer and his father-in-law had the same idea as well.

"So...let me see if I have this right" she muttered to herself, "you not only locked out your only son...because you thought he was bad luck...or, as you claim. But you did it all...to teach him a lesson about _lying?!_" The family felt themselves cringe slightly with every word Officer Schoffner said, suddenly realizing the stupidity of their actions. But then; Lori, while still feeling rather flustered, desperately tried to save face for her family.

"Officer...all due respect, you don't seem to understand our side of the argument" she exclaimed, "our dad always teaches us that family supports each other...no matter how silly or stupid some of their ambitions might be." The other sisters, for the first time in days, all cheered unanimously at her words. But then, after mentally recapping the second half of her statement; they all shot daggers at her in annoyance.

"Despite the otherwise...shall we say, hurtful tone in her statement; I must agree with my elder sibling" Lisa said suddenly, "supporting one's family in any way is an important requirement to create a stable and respectable family unit." The moment she said this, her Pop-Pop took a knee and rested a hand upon Lisa's shoulder. "I agree, hon; it _is_ important to support each other in most of the things we do" he stated, "that being said, we can't be there for _everything_."

To prove his point, he mentioned how he regretted not being about to show up for Lola's pageant last November. But reminded everyone that he could not make it due to exhausting himself after a big paintball game he had two days before. "I was so washed out by it all, I needed to rest for a bit" he sighed, "I may be active...but I'm still an old man."

He then proceeded to ask what Lincoln had done during the days before the "bad luck incident." To which everyone, even the parents, began scratching their heads slightly. "It was literally so long ago, Pop-Pop" muttered Lori, "but...I think he was doing homework...then, he came to my golf game, Luna's concert rehearsal, Lola's pageant rehearsal...then, uh...Luan had a prop testing session at home...uh...

In time, Lori suddenly started trailing off in her sentence. Not because she had difficulty remembering what happened...but because she was starting to realize her grandfather's point. After doing so many things in one month (if not one day,) she never once thought about how exhausted Lincoln must've been afterwards.

"Okay...maybe you're right in saying Lincoln was in the right in needing some off-time" Lori relented, "but that still doesn't excuse the fact that he lied about being bad luck _and_ broke a lot of our things to keep the ruse going." Surprisingly, Officer Schoffner sided with the girl's argument; proclaiming that lying and purposefully breaking one's possessions is never good. "That being said, however...answer me this" she asked suddenly, "has he ever asked you all if he could stay home, rather than attend your activities?"

After thinking about it for a moment, Lynn Sr. answered in saying he did it on a few occasions. "Good answer...now, how often does he try to voice his disagreement on your ideas or wishes" questioned the policewoman, "I imagine that it must be often." Almost instantly, the girls proceeded to reference the many times Lincoln refused to listen to their advice.

"I mean, being the one who's literally been in a relationship the longest in this family; you'd think that Lincoln take my advice on dating" Lori grumbled, "yet, he's always trying to weasel out of any chance for a romantic rendezvous with Ronnie Anne!" Upon hearing this, both Albert and Officer Schoffner asked who Ronnie Anne was. "She's Bobby's little sister" Lori replied, "you remember Bobby...don't you, Pop-Pop?"

It didn't take long for Albert to remember the boy in question. Whenever he visited, Lori would tell many stories about him and their dates together. He even had the pleasure of meeting him, two years ago.

"I didn't realize the boy _had_ a sister, to tell you the truth" Albert admitted, "but what does _she_ have to do with Lincoln?" Then, all of a sudden; all the girls went into a flurry of words. Each one of them kept talking about how "Ronnie Anne and Lincoln were meant to be" or how their relationship was "a bud waiting to blossom into a beautiful rose."

Finally, Rita let out a shrill whistle; causing everyone to fall silent. "Now...we're gonna try this again, one at a time" she said calmly, "explain to us what Ronnie Anne has to do with your brother?" With that said, Lori decided to give her parents and grandfather the 411.

"Long story short, she was once a girl who used to bully Lincoln every chance she had" she explained, "kick me signs, booby trapping his locker, shoving sandwiches down his pants; you name it." As the story went on, the three elder Louds began to feel uneasy about what they were hearing. After that, Lynn Jr. added how they wanted to help "protect" Lincoln from his bully.

"But once we found out the bully was a girl, there was a change in plans" Lola stated, "instead of helping protect him, we wanted to try and help set them up." After saying this, Officer Schoffner did something that might've been deemed "unbecoming" of an officer...she burst out laughing. She laughed so hard and loudly, she fell off of her swivel chair.

When she managed to calm down enough, Schoffner saw that the girls were all looking at her silently; as if to say they weren't joking. "Wait...so, you girls were serious" she said after clearing her throat, "you actually tried to set your brother up with a bully?" Almost immediately, Lori tried to defend her decision by claiming every act of bullying Ronnie Anne showed was just her way of saying "I love you."

"That is, without a doubt the _dumbest_ logic we've ever heard" Lynn Sr. said firmly, "I mean...next, I suppose you'll tell us that her breaking Lincoln's arm means she wants to date him!" Lori was taken aback by this statement, offended that her father would even suggest such a thing. Hoping for some support, she turned to her mother and offered the same explanation.

"I agree with your father, Lori" she said firmly, "bullies are often either people who have a lot of personal issues that haven't been resolved yet, people who have a...bizarre craving for attention or people who just love to cause suffering to others." Albert nodded in agreement with her daughter, thinking back to all the times_ he_ was once bullied. "But Mom, you still don't understand; Ronnie Anne _does_ love Lincoln" Lori said pleadingly, "I mean...when we were their age, I stuffed sandwiches in Bobby's pants loads of times!"

Some of the others, from Leni to Lynn, sided with their sister; proclaiming they've done similar things to people _they_ liked. "Oh...is that so" Lynn inquired, "then...Luna, answer me this; if you spent time shoving sandwiches down Sam's pants and teasing her mercilessly, how do you think _she_ would feel?" Upon being asked this, the pixie-haired rocker suddenly felt a tug at her heartstrings.

She could still hear her words echoing within her mind. _"It really hurts me to do this, Lunes; it really does"_ Sam's voice murmured softly, _"but until this family business of yours is settled or until my loving Purple Pixie comes back...I think we need some space,"_ Even though Sam ended that call with the soft murmur of "I love you;" to Luna, it felt almost like a breakup message.

Now, she factored in some of the things her father suggested into her own relationship. Sam was rockin, energetic, adventurous and truly unique. But if Luna spent all her time putting sandwiches down _her_ pants, pranking her or heckling her the same way Ronnie Anne did Lincoln; there was a strong possibility Sam might call the authorities on her

"Let me ask you a better question, girls" Rita said firmly, "has Lincoln ever actually shown any romantic interest in Ronnie Anne before...or have all their antics just been friendly behavior/banter?" There was a soft murmur amongst the girls, as if they were sheepishly trying to repeat their mother's second phrase. "Truth be told, I thought that was the case" Rita stated, "fact is...Lincoln may actually be interested in someone else, for all we know."

This caused the sisters' expressions to brighten slightly, thinking that their brother might find love after all. The moment they saw this change in demeanor, both the Loud Parents quickly put their feet down (quite literally.) "Even _if_ love might be in the air for your brother, that doesn't give you girls the right to meddle in his affairs" Lynn Sr. decreed firmly, "the only time you all should get involved, if at all, is when he actually _comes_ to you and _asks_ for it!"

At this point, Lisa decided to offer _her_ 2 cents on the situation; proclaiming that Lincoln lacked the proper knowledge on certain things (like relationships, bullies and such) to deal with them correctly. "Many of _us_, on the other hand are actually quite adept in those matters" she said dryly, "as such, it's only natural for us to become involved in our brother's affairs." Before anyone could continue on, Albert quickly snapped his fingers and called for everyone's attention.

"I don't think you'll be doing anymore meddling for the foreseeable future, girls" he said firmly, "especially since you'll be rather busy, over the next couple of days." The whole family gawked at Albert in confusion and asked what exactly would they be busy with. "Before I answer, I have one last thing to say" Albert murmured with a sigh, "whatever happens...I love all of you dearly, _including_ your brother."

The family cooed softly and hugged Albert with all their might, professing their own love for _him_ as well. "That being said...whatever feelings I have for you all doesn't change the fact that I'm sorely disappointed in all of you" he grumbled slightly, "especially your parents, who are supposed to keep all eleven of you safe and happy." Upon hearing this, Rita couldn't help but hang her head in shame; feeling like she truly_ did_ fail her children.

"But...to give you some bit of good news, I've managed to help bail you all out of the Cooler" he said with a small grin, "you'll be heading home today." Despite the current circumstances, this bit of news helped cheer up the family a little. But then, they wondered just _how_ Albert was able to get them out.

"How did you do it, Dad" questioned Rita, "don't tell me you've dipped into your pension fund, you need that money!" For the first time all day, the old man offered his daughter a genuine smile; assuring her that his pension was still safe. "I actually had some help from some people I met on my way here" he stated, "apparently, some of the parents of Lincoln's new lady friends helped call them up."

At that moment, the door swung open and the Louds could see three people in suits entering. One was a slender, young lady with a bald head; the second individual was a man with thick mutton chop sideburns and the third was a man with a thick almost Duck Dynasty-style beard. As this trio of strangers walked in, the Louds began to wonder just who they are and why they were here.

"Are these the people you were talking about, Dad" questioned Rita, "if so, who are they?" As if sensing the Mrs. Loud's confusion, the slender woman decided to introduce herself and her colleagues to her. "We are the Law Offices of Baldur, Burns & Bush" the woman stated, "specialized in familial disputes and domestic violence, here to relay an important message unto the Loud Family."

When the girls asked what their message was; Baldur, Burns and Bush all turned sideways, pointed at them dramatically and exclaimed the words "you've been served" in dramatic unison. While questioning what the trio meant by served, it was...somewhat clear as to _why_ they were there. "Sirs and Ma'am, w-w-we understand your involvement in the situation" Rita said nervously, "b-but if you could let my husband and I speak to our son, I think we might be able to work all this out."

Despite Rita's sincere tone of voice, the lawyers crossed their arms and firmly shook their heads at her. "I'm afraid that cannot be done at this present moment, Ma'am" Bush stated, "until further notice; you, your husband and all ten of your daughters are forbidden to speak to our client." Soon after, Mr. Burns added that the family was also prohibited from approaching Lincoln within fifteen to twenty feet at anytime.

No sooner had he said this, Mr. and Mrs. Loud were handed a document...a court order. "Mayor Davis believes that the time has come to lay things out on the table, as they say" Baldur said firmly, "meaning that the time has come for your family's drama to be properly addressed...and for justice to be served." Despite the sudden nature of this summons, both Lynn and Rita understood that this was necessary.

"Until the court date arrives, you _will _obey the restraining order" Ms. Baldur decreed, "failure to uphold it in any way, Mr. and Mrs. Loud will be met with serious consequences." After saying all this, the sole female lawyer asked Mr. and Mrs. Loud if they understood what they'd been told. In spite of their initial shock, both they and their daughters were able to nod in response.

"I just got one question, Mrs...uh, Baldur" murmured Luna, "does my bro know about this court summons thing at all?" Baldur's expression softened slightly and she replied in saying he would be notified, in due time. "When I last spoke with Mrs. Pingrey, she informed us that he plans on visiting a friend at his farm with her daughter and a collection of their friends" she explained, "he'll receive word about this, tomorrow."

Everyone nodded in understanding; remembering that the farm in question must be the home of Lincoln's friend, Liam. They hoped that somehow, he would be informed of the order and make it to the court room. After that, Mr. and Mrs. Loud accepted the court summons; hoping that after the trial, they might be able to make things right with their family again.

(AN: Out of the frying pan and back into the fire, as they say. It was harsh enough receiving a lecture from Pop-Pop, who is often the most laid back member of the Loud Family. But discovering that they are being summoned to court after everything that's happened...well, let's hope the Louds have a good lawyer of their own to help them out of this)

(Second AN: As you saw, Lily was spared from having to stay in the Cooler with everyone else. Unlike her elder siblings, she is not one prone to do much fighting in the house; not even towards Lincoln. So, don't worry; not everyone has been locked up)

(Third AN: Much of the information on the other Loud Family members were either based off of information from the Wikia page *in terms of Aunt Ruth's character* or thought up by me *in terms of Lynn's father.* So, I did my best in describing each of them and their abilities in being good providers)


	17. Chapter Sixteen: Down on the Farm

Down on the Farm

The following morning, Lincoln awoke in the guest room of Jordan's house (once again;) feeling fresh as a bee. His mind still raced with the joyful thoughts of the golf game he and some of the girls had. But after hearing about how she was still frazzled by the park debacle, Lincoln offered to help keep her company for the night.

This choice proved to be a wise one; for in the morning, both he _and_ Jordan felt refreshed. "Thanks for keeping me company, Lincoln" Jordan stated, "I know you might've had plans to stay with someone else overnight, so...I'm sorry for getting in the way." After letting out a soft yet inoffensive scoff, Lincoln assured her there was no harm done.

"Sure, Carol and her folks _did_ offer me to bunk with them again" he stated, "I was even anxious to play fetch again with Alistair, Carol's pet corgi." Jordan smiled slightly at this, for a moment; before it slipped into a frown. Then, much to her surprise, she felt Lincoln's arms wrap around her suddenly and hug her tight.

"But when the others told me about how shook up you were because of my sisters, I felt like I _had_ to be here for you" he said firmly, "besides, after how much you've been helping _me;_ it was_ my_ turn to help one or some of _you _for a change_._" In that moment, Jordan's face suddenly flushed a beet red. Whether it was because of the hug or Lincoln's words, it didn't matter too much.

In the end, after all that's happened; she suddenly felt safe in his arms. However, this pleasant moment was swiftly cut short; when Jordan's father passed by the living room. The moment the duo spotted him, they quickly broke away; their faces still blushing deeply.

However; much to their surprise, the man said nothing (not out loud, anyway.) He only glanced at them slightly, smiled, chuckled softly to himself and walked away. The two kids sighed with relief and decided to head outside for a bit for some air.

Upon stepping out the back of the house, Lincoln saw something that made his eyes bulge with astonishment. The entire yard seemed to have been completely transformed into party central. While taking in the sights around him, Lincoln suddenly recognized a lot of the things that were set up.

There was the "Make Your Own Sandwich" station, the face-paining/temp tattoo station, the inflatable waterslide even a dessert table. There was also something new set up on the right side of the grass, a DJ booth with a karaoke station close by it. Lincoln quivered with excitement, upon seeing all these things; something Jordan quickly took notice of.

"How do you like the setup, Lincoln" she said suddenly, "it's all for the pool party coming up." It took a while for him to find his voice. But once he _was_ able to speak again, he simply murmured one word; "woooow!"

Jordan couldn't help but giggle at his response, proclaiming she expected it to be the first thing to come to his mind. "Carol and her crew had a hand in it all as well" she added, "Dana thought up the DJ booth, Paige and Becky brought the desserts and Carol brought up the idea for the Karaoke station." Lincoln came close to fainting with ecstasy, after hearing all this; feeling like this would become the most legendary Spring Break party ever.

Upon seeing all this however, Lincoln was reminded of a rather embarrassing memory. One where he and a few friends were caught between choosing to go to a similar pool party to this and helping Liam, another good friend of his, celebrate his first sleepover party. Granted, while he _did_ have loads of fun over at his farm; even Liam himself admitted that his activities felt small compared to Jordan's celebration.

_"Man...we really felt like bad friends, that day"_ Lincoln thought to himself bitterly, _"I should try and make up to him for that...even though it happened so long ago and he_ did _manage to forgive us."_ In the end, Lincoln ultimately decided that he _would_ make it up to Liam...somehow. The question was...what would be a good way to do it?

At that moment, Lincoln suddenly felt Jordan tapping his shoulder; which caused him to jolt with surprise. "Sorry about that, Lincoln; I didn't mean to scare you" she said apologetically, "are you okay, do you wanna talk about it?" At first, Lincoln hesitated in wanting to tell her; thinking the issue wasn't quite so big to talk about.

But he realized that Jordan was not only a good listener. But she also found a way to help make the situation better, just as she did over the past week. "Well, Jordan; it's like this" he began, "let me start off by saying you're right...this probably _will_ be the best Spring Break party ever!" Jordan couldn't help but blush slightly, mostly out of humility.

"That being said however, seeing all this brings back...memories" Lincoln murmured, "specifically about how my friends and I almost got ourselves killed trying to attend parties both you and Liam were having." Upon hearing this, Jordan gasped with sudden realization. She saw Lincoln and the crew talking about Liam's first sleepover at school, on that day.

Yet, she unknowingly approached them and told them of her pool party. Looking back on that memory, she now understood the reason behind Linc's odd behavior during his visit. "Don't worry about it too much, Linc" she stated, "the important thing is you and the guys made amends with Liam, that day."

Lincoln nodded in agreement with her but quickly added how Liam scared them all into thinking they were eating his pet pig, Virginia. "It was both a bit of playful revenge against us...mixed with a side of dark humor to get back at us for flaking" Lincoln shivered, "and it totally worked." Despite the overall morbid nature of this reveal, both preteens shared a good laugh about it.

Then, as if like a flash; Jordan's eyes suddenly widened and a large grin formed on her face. "My brain just hatched an idea" she exclaimed, "why not invite your crew to the party, Lincoln; including Liam?" Admittedly, Lincoln _did_ like the idea...but he wondered if there would be enough room for all the guests already coming.

"There's plenty to share, Linc" Jordan assured, "not to mention that with so many people pitching in to set up everything, it won't make my folks feel like they're being bled out of their pockets." The moment she said this; Jordan's father playfully interjected by proclaiming _"I heard that, little missy."_ The duo shared a giggle and shook hands on the idea, with Lincoln proclaiming it to be a done deal.

"It's funny that I brought up Liam, actually" he said suddenly, "I got a voicemail from him, while I was on my way here." Lincoln went on to explain that his parents received a call from Principal Huggins, while he was at golf earlier that day. It was unknown _why_ he called them, at the moment; the only main thing Liam knew was he wanted to speak with his folks.

"In any case; in the morning, Liam will be left to watch over the farm while they're away" Lincoln explained, "I didn't want to leave him alone with it all; so, I messaged him that I'd come and help out." Jordan was quite pleased with this news, mostly because of how selflessly Lincoln wanted to help his friend. "I wish I could help but I need to help my folks with some final party touch ups" she sighed dejectedly, "but I know some of the others may want to lend a hand."

Lincoln beamed at the idea and quickly sent out a mass text to all the members of the "Gal Pals" crew (a name Lincoln came to love since Carol first mentioned it.) Alas, he received a few denials from some of them; a few moments later.

Cristina: "Sorry, Lincoln; my dad can't bring me to the farm to help you. He's been on the phone with some guy, shouting up a storm about what happened at the park.

But I promise to meet you at the party, later in the week. See you soon"

Phoebe: "Love to help, dude...but can't; took some pics of the park incident and the fam wants me to make copies for them. The reason _why_ they need my snapshots is a mystery, though. Whatevs...looking forward to that big pool party, good luck at your friend's farm."

CiCi: "Sorry, pal; won't be able to come due to my folks being too busy working on some stuff. I'll make sure to make up for the lost time, I swear."

Haiku: "Apologies, Lincoln...but the incident at the park has left my aura rather shaken and I will need to indulge in my poetry journal, to help clear my head. I shall see you soon, in the days ahead."

With every text reply he received, they all seemed to bring the same response; that some of his friends were too busy or they were still recovering (emotionally speaking) from the unexpected arrival of Lincoln's family. However, there were _some_ among them who agreed to help. Along with Carol and Dana, Stella agreed to lend a hand and (much to Lincoln's surprise) Ronnie Anne and Carlotta agreed as well.

"Nice to know I've got some extra hands to help me at Liam's" Lincoln said while addressing the viewer, "I just hope we'll all be enough to do the job...and that gals like Carol or Carlotta don't feel too worried about getting dirty."

(Line Break)

The following morning, Lincoln and Co hoofed it down to the chicken farm. There, they spotted Liam heading over to a feeding troth; pulling behind him what looked like a bag of feed. "He must be heading over to feed the goats" Lincoln murmured, "let's all give him a hand with that bag."

Everyone nodded in agreement and made their way towards him. As the young farm boy tried another attempt at moving the bag, he caught sight of the group coming his way. "Oh! Howdy there, Lincoln; thanks for poppin' by" he greeted warmly, "though...I did not expect y'all to bring up some lady folk with ya."

Dana and Carlotta giggled softly at the boy, saying he was "sweet" for addressing them as ladies. "They all wanted to join me in helping you...if that's okay" Lincoln murmured, "figured you could use all the help you can get." Though he appreciated the sentiment, he wasn't sure if the "city gals" could handle his kind of work.

"I think you'll learn that we're tougher than you give us credit for, Liam" Stella proclaimed, "just give us a shot and we'll prove it." The young country boy greatly admired the young lady's moxie but still felt unsure about the others. "I'll be the first to admit that...I'm not very familiar with this farming business" Carol confessed, "in fact, I'm almost certain I'll end up getting dirty here."

Carlotta quickly seconded Carol's complaint, proclaiming that she had just got the outfit she had on from the thrift store the day before. "Maybe you should've packed some street clothes before bringing me to town, Cuz" Ronnie Anne groaned softly, "seemed like the sensible option." Carlotta glared down at her cousin in minor annoyance, proclaiming that what she had on _were_ her "street clothes."

"Don't y'all worry none" Liam interjected suddenly, "if'n you all get dirty while helpin' me, y'all can use the shower inside." This news seemed to please the two ladies...but they wondered just how dirty the work might leave them, in the end. "First thing we gotta do is feed the goats" Liam explained, "that's what I was draggin' this here sack for."

Ronnie Anne smiled at the boy, cracked her neck side-to-side for three seconds and asked him to take hold of his end. Once he did, Ronnie Anne took hold of hers and hoisted it off the ground. The duo was now crab-walking to the goat pen while holding the bag of feed at their chests.

_"Land sakes, I didn't know this gal was so strong" _Liam thought to himself, _"it's no wonder she had been able to hassle Lincoln so well, when he was in school with us." _After getting close enough to the fence, the kids let the bag down and exhaled softly with relief. Then, they were greeted by a band of small goats running towards them; each appearing eager to be fed.

"Oh, aren't they cute" cooed Dana, "and look at their widdle horns, they haven't grown out yet." Liam couldn't help but chuckle at the comment; having said something similar when _he_ first saw them, long ago. "Now...once I open this here bag, we take a small scoop and pour it into their troth here" he explained while showing off a small coffee cup, "but just give 'em three scoops...don't want these youngins gettin' greedy here."

Everyone nodded in understanding and Dana begged to be one of the people to give a scoop to them. "I just want to pet one of them, when they come to eat" she squealed while bouncing eagerly, "just once...I promise to be gentle." Despite his nervous confusion, Liam granted her permission to pet one of the goats.

With a smile on her face; Dana took hold of the cup, scooped up some feed and poured it into the feeding troth. Afterwards, all the goats came rushing over in an excited stampede. While they all ate, Dana caught sight of a little baby goat with white spots on its brown coat and reached over to pet its head.

At first, the critter was confused by the unknown girl's appearance before her. But when it saw the kind look in her eyes, she let out a soft bleat and bowed its head slightly; allowing her to pet her for three seconds. This gave Carol the perfect moment to snap a picture of the scene with her phone.

"When we're done, I'm totally posting this" she said with a giggle, "cute animal photos are still trending on social media." A moment later, Lincoln and Ronnie Anne added _their _scoops to the troth; which caused the rest of the goats to rush over. "Alright, y'all; they should be good for the mornin'" Liam stated, "now, it's off to feed the cattle and then, we go get some eggs from the hen house."

Everyone nodded in understanding and followed the boy to the cattle pen. Feeding them wasn't too much of a hassle, admittedly...save for one involving Carlotta. Said incident happened while everyone was helping feed the cows.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, after Lincoln and Liam poured the feed into the troth. But as the group prepared to leave the area, one of the steers turned itself around and...broke wind (shall we say) behind Carlotta. Not only was the sound incredibly gross to hear, Carlotta could feel the warm air lightly touching her from behind.

"AW, JEEZ" cried Ronnie Anne while she plugged up her nose, "how about giving us a warning, cuz; before you let one go!" In that moment; Carlotta, her face beet red with embarrassment and appearing flustered, prepared to verbally chew out her cousin for her accusation. But then, she saw Ronnie Anne sniggering under her breath; which meant she was only ribbing her.

"Very funny, little missy" she murmured with a sarcastic eye roll, "keep that up and I will see to it you spend all of June with me at the thrift store, buying new outfits...for _both _of us!" This statement caused Ronnie Anne to cease her laughing and suddenly shiver with dread. Of all things, she dreaded shopping for (what her cousin considered) more feminine attire.

"Let's all mosey on over to the next task y'all" Liam suggested, "it's time to give some of the critters fresh water." Everyone nodded in agreement and proceeded towards the well, where they found two buckets sitting beside the pipe. "Okay, each of us will take some water to the animals two at a time" explained Lincoln, "I'll go with Liam, Ronnie Anne will go with Stella and Carol will go with Dana."

At that moment, Carlotta quickly interjected and asked what they planned for _her_ to do next. "Y'all can go and give the rabbits some new feed, Miss Carlotta" Liam replied, "I know you'll like them critters." Upon hearing the idea, she squealed with stars in her eyes and raced over towards the rabbit coops.

Moments later, everyone gathered at the hen house and Liam presented the group with two small buckets of corn scratch. "For this next chore, we gotta feed them chickens and eggs from inside the coop here" the farm boy instructed, "best spread the feed first, helps keep the hens distracted." Everyone nodded with a salute and Liam asked for volunteers to do both jobs.

Lincoln and Stella offered to help spread the scratch, while Ronnie Anne chose to collect the eggs. "That's some fine teamwork, y'all" Liam said with pride, "you go and do that while I'll help put together Virginia's supper." With that said, he went off on his way; leaving the others to tend to the chickens.

While the majority of the group felt eager to get started, Carlotta couldn't help but feel nervous. "I dunno...aren't chickens known for pecking people" she asked worriedly, "because if they are...my family will kill me, if Ronnie Anne got hurt on my watch." The young lady in question rolled her eyes with a slight groan, grumbling how her cousin was slipping into yet _another_ "worry wart phase."

"Chickens only attack when they're threatened, Carlotta" Ronnie Anne assured exasperatedly, "other than that, I'll be okay." With that said; she took hold of a basket, crouched slightly and made her way through the door. Carlotta bit her lip anxiously, as the chickens suddenly started clucking.

_"Oh, man...I just _know _this is a bad idea" _she thought to herself, _"I've gotta see what's going on in there...somehow."_ The first thing she tried was crouching down to see the inside through the door. But because of its size, squatting proved murder on Carlotta's young back.

Then, she spotted a window nearby and tried to look inside through _there_. But despite being so tall, it proved far beyond her reach. Suddenly, she could hear a chicken clucking very loudly inside the coop.

_"OMG! That chicken sounded agitated, did Ronnie Anne upset it somehow"_ Carlotta thought nervously, _"I wish I knew what was going on in there._" Then, like a blow to the head; an idea suddenly struck her...a rather risky and possibly degrading one. With a long, weary sigh; Carlotta closed her eyes and proceeded towards the door.

As she crouched down once again, Carlotta attempted to enter through the door. But while she managed to get her head and torso in, the same couldn't be said for her lower half. Much to her dismay, Carlotta's shapely hips found themselves wedged into the doorframe; causing her to become stuck.

To add further fuel to the fire, Carlotta looked around and saw no sign of Ronnie Anne inside. "What the...where did she go" she gasped in both surprise and confusion, "she couldn't have just disappeared!" Suddenly, her shouting spooked some of the chickens out of their nests.

As the birds began flying about every which way, chaos reigned inside of the coop. Straw, feathers and dust flew about in every direction; most of which was covering poor Carlotta's beautiful hair. "EEEWWW! I JUST STYLED MY HAIR TWO DAYS AGO" she cried loudly, "HELP ME, SOMEBODY; GET ME OUTTA HERE!"

Outside of the coop, Carlotta's legs flailed helplessly on the other side of the door. There, Lincoln and Stella tried to think of a way to help their friend. "Why don't we try to push her all the way in" Lincoln suggested, "she won't be stuck anymore, if it works."

Stella shook her head slightly, explaining to her friend that they needed to try and bring her _out_ of the coop. "Even if we could push her through; if she tried coming out from the inside, she'll just get stuck again" she said firmly, "besides...I'm too young to be touching anyone tuchus." Lincoln couldn't help but smile at the comment, as if to say he was thinking the same thing.

With the idea of pushing her in being a bust, the only other option left was to pull her out. But something in the kids' heads told them that would be just as hard. "I dunno if we can do this, Linc" Stella murmured with uncertainty, "her legs are...rather big and I don't know if we can get a good grip on 'em."

At that moment, Carlotta's right leg suddenly took a swing at Stella; missing her by a hair. "I resent that, missy" she shouted from inside the coop, "I may be stuck in here but I can still hear you!" After a quick apology, Stella took hold of Carlotta's left leg and Lincoln took the right one.

"Okay...once we start pulling back; you'll have to try and wiggle yourself loose, Carlotta" he instructed, "do you think you can do that for us?" Despite her worry, the young Latina had faith in her young friend and offered to do the best that she could. Finally, after a long countdown from three; Lincoln and Stella began to pull.

At the same time, Carlotta did her best to wiggle herself loose from the doorframe. But due to its size, it was a little difficult to move even the slightest inch. For what felt like ages, Lincoln and Stella pulled at her ankles with all their might. While Carlotta tried to wiggle herself loose as best as she could.

In the end, their efforts proved fruitless and the trio collapsed from exhaustion. "I always thought my curvy hips were a blessing to me" whined Carlotta, "but in this case...I'm thinking of changing my mind on that!" As the girl began to wail in despair; on the other side of the coop, Lincoln and Stella were met with a surprising sight.

Approaching them from the distance was Ronnie Anne, who was holding a basket filled with two dozen eggs. "Hey, lame-o; you're not sleeping on the job, are ya" she chuckled, "Liam might not be happy to hear about that." Lincoln, who's mouth was hanging open with surprise, shook his head vigorously and asked Ronnie Anne how she got out.

"We'll talk about that later" she replied, "right now...seems like you have a problem on your hands." Before either Lincoln or Stella could speak a word, Ronnie Anne reached into the pockets of her hoodie and brought out a small tube of Carlotta's hair conditioner. After squirting a dollop of it into each of her palms, Ronnie Anne proceeded to spread it along the door frame and her cousin's hips.

Meanwhile; inside the coop, Carlotta suddenly began to giggle loudly and pound her fists atop the floorboards. "Hey...whoever's touching me out there, stop it" she called out between laughs, "not o-o-only am I ticklish...it's also pervy." Finally, after ten seconds; the "tickling" suddenly ceased and all was still.

Then, Carlotta found herself being pulled from behind; once again. This time however, she could feel her hips slipping slightly through the door frame. "I think it's working, y'all" she called out, "give it all you got out there!" With that said, the kids outside gave one final pull and then...Carlotta was free.

Alas; with the combination of Ronnie Anne's assistance and the hair conditioner she used, their pulling caused Carlotta to come popping out of the door and rolling over onto the grass. Dazed and coated in straw, the young lady quickly seated herself and tried to clear her head. "Dudes...I think we did it" panted Stella, "pretty good work, guys."

Lincoln gave his friend a silent thumb's up while catching his breath, also feeling proud of their success. Then, he was suddenly swept off his feet and caught in a near bone-crushing hug by Carlotta. "OH! THANK YOU SO MUCH, LINCOLN" she cried with delight, "IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR YOU, WHO KNOWS WHAT WOULD'VE HAPPENED!"

Lincoln tried his best to speak but the girl just kept squeezing him tighter, causing his head to inflate. "You really are a great pal, Lincoln" Carlotta sighed gratefully, "how can I ever thank you?" At that moment, Ronnie Anne caught sight of the scene and cleared her throat loudly.

"_First_ thing you can do, Cuz is try not to break Lincoln in half" she murmured while gesturing at how Carlotta was holding her friend, "the second thing is...saving you was a _team_ effort here, we deserve some gratitude too." While she _did _agree with Ronnie Anne, she didn't want Carlotta to "thank" her the same way she did Lincoln. Upon realizing her actions, Carlotta quickly let go of Lincoln and apologized for overstepping any boundaries.

"No...it's okay, you were just...caught up in the moment" the boy heaved while trying to gather enough breath, "I'm just happy the plan worked." As the group began to clean themselves up; Liam, Carol and Dana soon rejoined them. To say that they were all surprised by their collective disheveled state would be a gross understatement.

"What in the Yellow Rose of Texas happened to all of y'all" questioned Liam, "Miss Carlotta looks like she got caught in a tornader and you and Stella are sweatin' like pigs." Lincoln rolled his eyes slightly and assured his friend that it was too long of a story to get into at the moment. "The important thing is that I got the eggs" Ronnie Anne stated while presenting the basket, "you guys will be eating good for a while."

Upon seeing her cousin standing before her, Carlotta's jaw fell so fast; it darn near went through the ground. "How the...Where the...I..." she stammered wildly, "how'd you get out, I was caught in the only entrance/exit." After taking a moment to suppress her giggles, Ronnie Anne brought her cousin over to the back of the coop.

There, Carlotta saw something that made her eyes almost pop from her head; a back door to the coop. When Lincoln saw this, a second later; he also felt rather confused. "How long has _that_ been there" he asked, "I don't recall seeing that door the last time I was here."

Liam took notice of his friend's confusion and confessed that his father added it during the fall. "Y'all ain't the only ones who got themselves caught in that there door" he stated, "if'n I had a quarter for every time that happened to _me_...I'd be rich enough to buy a new tractor." In that moment, Lincoln suddenly burst out laughing; not just from Liam's little joke but from the comedic irony of the door reveal.

But alas, at the moment; not everyone was in a laughing mood. Carlotta muttered bitterly, as she desperately tried to pick and shake off any straw that clung onto her hair. "_PLEASE..._tell me we're almost done with the chores" she groaned, "I'm gonna need several dozen blow dries to get my hair clean."

Ronnie Anne silently rolled her eyes at her cousin, mentally hoping that _she_ wouldn't get so fussy about _her_ hair; once she became a teen. "Just one more chore left y'all and we'll call it a day" Liam stated, "alls we gotta do is go feed Virginia down at the pen and we'll be done."

(Line Break)

After almost getting stuck inside of a hen house door, you would think Carlotta had done enough dirty work for one lifetime. But what she saw next made her actually shiver with fear and dread. Before them was a large mud pit; where Liam's pet pig, Virginia was seen wallowing playfully.

"She's got a bit bigger since last month" Lincoln gasped in awe, "you guys must be keeping her well-fed still." Upon hearing his voice, Virginia let out a joyful squeal and proceeded to run towards the fence. Once she stopped, she began snorting wildly; which gave everyone the impression that Virginia was acting like an excited puppy.

"Oh, isn't she precious" cooed Stella, "looks like somebody's a widdle hungwy, yes they are!" Not long after, Lincoln started patting the pig's head as well; even Ronnie Anne gave it a little tickle beneath the chin. When the kids started spreading the slop, a moment later; Carlotta was in the midst of picking out straw from her ponytail.

"How can they all be so affectionate towards a _pig_" she murmured softly, "it's not like it's something cute; like a bunny or a puppy or a ki..." Just as Carlotta tried to finish her sentence a piece of straw suddenly tickled at her nose. Once it happened, Carlotta began to sniffle slightly until she started letting out some heaving breathes.

All these signs meant that she was about ready to sneeze. Thinking quickly, Carlotta placed her hand beneath her nose; hoping to stop herself from sneezing. After taking in a few sharp inhales...she suddenly stopped and then, she sighed deeply with relief.

_"That was a close one right there"_ she thought to herself, _"for a second, I thought I was going to...to...to..."_ Before she could finish her initial thoughts, Carlotta suddenly let out a powerful sneeze. Said sneeze sent her flying back slightly...but unfortunately for her, she was standing near the fence of the pig pen.

As a result, Carlotta's sneeze sent her flying over the fence; where she (much to her disgust) landed head first into the thickest patch of mud (or at least, what they _hoped _was mud.) The poor girl, looking like an ostrich, struggled violently to pull her head out of the mud...but to no avail. "Hang on, Carlotta; I'm coming" Ronnie Anne called out, leaping over the fence.

Soon, she too was deep in the slop; as she tried with all her might to pull her cousin out. Finally, after three good pulls; Carlotta's head suddenly popped out of the mud and she took in a deep inhale of breath. Once free, Carlotta immediately took notice of her current appearance and cried.

"My clothes, my hair...MY _FACE_" she shouted in sorrow, "I'M COVERED FROM HEAD TO TOE IN MUD!" Upon saying this, the poor girl suddenly wondered if it actually _was_ mud she landed in. she did her best to clean herself up, when she looked to the side and saw Ronnie Anne beside her; also coated with the stuff.

Then, both ladies turned to the side to find Lincoln looking down at them from the fence. All was silent, as the trio looked at one another in silence. Carlotta feared that Lincoln might mock them over their misfortune, while Ronnie Anne sent him a glare; as if warning him not to say a word.

What happened next however, took both ladies and the rest of their friends completely off-guard. After he inhaled deeply through his nose, Lincoln leapt over the fence and landed feet first into the mud; all while laughing with glee. "Lincoln Loud, how dare you laugh at our misfortune" Carlotta scolded firmly, "do you know how hard it is to clean mud out of fabrics like this.

Suddenly, her phone went off and Carlotta quickly answered it. It was a text from Carol that read _"he's not laughing at you, he's acting like you two fell in on purpose...You know, like it's a sort of game."_ It took a moment for Carlotta to register the idea but when she did, she turned towards the boy dancing in the mud and smiled.

It wasn't long until Ronnie Anne did the same, when she realized what was going on. _"It's just like him...putting his own dignity on the line to preserve that of others"_ she thought to herself, _"that lame-o truly is something else...and I can't help but like that about him."_ After everyone left the pig pen, a moment later; Liam quickly offered his three friends use of the house's bathroom and shower.

Of course, Carlotta was the first to take up the offer; after nearly plowing down the whole group to get inside. While she cleansed herself, Lincoln and Ronnie Anne were left outside to wait. For a while, neither of them spoke; perhaps feeling a tad "traumatized" from landing in such thick mud.

Finally, Lincoln turned towards Ronnie Anne and cleared his throat softly. "Your cousin's taking her sweet time in there, isn't she" Lincoln chuckled, "does she hog the bathroom back at the apartment, by chance?" Ronnie Anne couldn't help but giggle at the idea; nevertheless, she nodded her head.

"One time, my grandmother was cooking and Lalo came running into the kitchen mad with hunger" she stated, "she was so caught off guard by this, she accidentally threw one of the dishes she was planning to serve in the air...which then landed on Carlotta's head." Through a fit of giggles, Ronnie Anne explained how her cousin spent nearly a full hour in the shower; just to get the smell out of her hair. To give her friend the proper idea, Ronnie Anne proceeded to act out a plane crash through pantomime.

This caused the duo to suddenly burst out laughing. After a while, the two calmed down and silence fell over the area again. They said nothing to each other, at first; all they chose to do was smile to one another, on occasion and enjoy each other's company.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of silence; they tried to speak. But once they did, both of them suddenly found themselves speaking over each other frantically. After sharing a bit of a laugh, Lincoln decided to break the ice first.

"This might seem weird of me to say but...I missed this" he said simply, "you know...us talking, laughing together; just like old times at school." Ronnie Anne smiled slightly with nostalgia and wholeheartedly agreed with him. "I miss this too" she admitted, "I mean; I did make a new friend, since you last came to Great Lakes...but none of them were as easy to prank as you."

Despite the mild glare he sent her way, Lincoln took no offense to her statement. "I dunno if I had the chance to say it before" he began, "but thanks...you know, for saving me at the park not too long ago." Ronnie Anne was taken aback slightly, surprised to see him thank her for roughing up one of his sisters.

"Think nothing of it, dude" she assured softly, "your sisters were ruining our good time and that's a _HUUUGE_ red flag, in my book." After saying this, Ronnie Anne found herself looking rather anxious. She was biting on her lip, twiddling her thumbs and was tapping her left foot like mad.

Lincoln immediately took notice of this and asked if she was okay. "Yeah...I'm fine, lame-o" she said with a nervous chuckle, "just...uh, thinking about...stuff, I guess." Feeling curious, Lincoln asked Ronnie Anne what she was thinking of.

At first, she tried to change the subject; looking at her wrist as if she was checking the time (even though she never worn a watch.) But when she saw the firm look in her friend's eyes, she sighed. "C'mon, dude...you know I'm no good at talking about my feelings" she groaned, "that's more my brother's thing...and _his_ feelings are almost always about your sister."

Lincoln smiled softly at her, thinking of just how true that idea was. But then, he did something Ronnie Anne never expected him to do...he took her hands in his. "Please, Ronnie Anne" he pleaded softly, "if this whole experience has taught me anything...it's to always speak your mind, whenever something huge is bothering you."

Once again, the young lady found herself torn between speaking her thoughts or keeping up her tough behavior. But in the end; Ronnie Anne realized Lincoln was right, this _was_ a good time to open up. "Truth is, dude...this whole ordeal you've been facing has had me thinking" she murmured, "thinking about our history together, so to speak."

Lincoln couldn't help but tilt his head at her, as if wondering what she was talking about. "No offense meant, Ronnie Anne...but compared to our older siblings, we don't really have a history" he said matter-of-factly, "I mean...that is to say...uh, what were we talking about?" Ronnie Anne couldn't help but giggle at this display, pleased to see that her friend was still a lovable dork.

"I'm not talking about _that_ kind of history, dude" she groaned playfully, "I'm talking about when I used to bully you, when we were in school together." In that moment, Lincoln's mood changed from confused to a look of worry. In truth, he didn't expect their conversation to turn out like _this._ "Thing is, dude...this whole business with your family drama got me thinking...about us" Ronnie stated, "I wondered if you've been feeling resentment towards me too...like you've been thinking towards your family."

Through her entire statement, Lincoln noticed a slight difference in Ronnie Anne's tone. Much of the time; she sounded bold, confident and oftentimes intimidating. But now, her tone carried a sense of dread and vulnerability; which was totally unlike her. "Hold up, Ronnie Anne...you think I would think that way about _you_" he gasped, "I mean...yeah; you've harangued me a lot, when we were in class together but your teasing was bearable."

He then went on to say that if he were able to choose, he'd pick shaking sandwiches out of his pants over living in fear of another beating from Lori or Lynn any day. "But you've changed since then, Ronnie Anne; I can see it" he complimented, "you're still the same rough and tumble gal I know...but you've also got a soft side to you." Truthfully, Ronnie Anne couldn't argue with his observation; even _she_ agreed that she changed a little since moving away.

"That is some real mature junk you're saying, dude" she said gratefully, "just don't let anyone know I've gone soft, I've got a rep to maintain." The two giggled while sharing a soft shoulder punch with each other, as the door suddenly swung open. Then, out came Carlotta; feeling refreshed and looking clean as a whistle.

"That sure felt good, after all that work" she sighed, "I mean...it's not quite _as_ refreshing as a trip to the spa but still." After that, the young teen offered up the shower to the next person who wanted it. As Lincoln and Ronnie Anne began playing Rock, Paper, Scissors over who got the next shower; a truck suddenly rolled down the dirt road.

Upon inspection, Liam recognized it as his father's truck and rushed over to greet him. "Welcome home, Pa" he said warmly, "hope y'all had a safe trip to...wherever ya went to." The man stepped out of the truck, smiled at Liam and greeted him with a light yet loving pat on the head.

"Nice to see you too, Son" he said with a gruff voice, "I hope y'all got them chores done like I asked you to." Liam nodded his head enthusiastically and mentioned how his friends lent a hand. When the old farmer saw the group in the yard, he tilted his head slightly in thought.

"Ain't that boy with the white scruff on his head one of your _amigos_, Liam" he asked, "and two of them lil' ladies there also looks a tad familiar." Soon, Lincoln and Co. approached the man and greeted him courteously. Each of them informed him of all the work they did and how well Liam helped instruct them.

"Thank you all kindly for your help, it was right neighborly of ya" he stated, "let me repay y'all for the work you did." Upon hearing this, Carlotta thanked the man for his offer but decided to decline it. "Truth is, taking that shower was payment enough" she said with a relieved sigh, "but...I'd recommend making that chicken coop door of yours bigger, next time."

When his father asked why Carlotta needed to use the shower, Liam simply said it was a long story. "Well...whatever the case; happy y'all got clean well enough, Missy" the farmer said warmly, "now, best get inside and rest in my chair...sittin' for so long at that meetin' left my back as stiff as a board." This revelation took everyone by surprise, especially Liam and Lincoln.

"What was the meetin' about, Pa" asked the young farm boy, "did the school board deny your request to serve some of our produce in the cafeteria again?" The farmer shook his head and looked down at Lincoln, revealing that it had something to do with _him._ "Seems some fancy city folk been callin' for some people to serve for jury duty" he stated, "told 'em I ain't got time for such nonsense, when I've got my farm to think about."

Upon hearing this, all the color from Lincoln's face drained and he slowly gulped down a nervous lump in his throat. _"Oh, crud...things are getting pretty nuts right now" _he thought to himself worriedly, _"I can only imagine what my folks and sisters must be thinking."_ While Lincoln tried to collect himself, Liam asked what the court wanted with him.

"Seems to me that your friend's kin is causin' quite a bit of a buzz, son" the man stated, "apparently, all there fussin' and feudin' has got the town in such a tizzy; everyone demanded that justice be done!" He then went on to say that the boys' principal, Wilbur Huggins had been asking several parents who are close to Lincoln to act as either witnesses or jury members. All this news then caused the boy in question to suddenly feel...anxious.

His breathing was shallow, his forehead was sweating and his hands began to clench tightly. Carol was the first to notice this behavior and asked him if he was okay. "Me...Oh, yeah; I'm just fine" Lincoln said nervously, "I mean...my family is going to court, the whole town knows about what's been happening and I'm worried one of my sisters might come after me in retaliation, before or after the trial..."

Soon, the boy found himself slipping into a nervous breakdown; which lasted for almost two minutes. Finally, Liam took hold of his shoulders and slapped him across the face...hard. "OW! DUDE...what did you do _that_ for" whined Lincoln, "couldn't you have just splashed water in my face instead?"

After a quick apology, Liam said that he had to do something to snap Lincoln out of his tirade. "Lookie here, Linc; no matter what happens...you ain't gonna face it alone" he assured, "if'n you need someone to back you up, I'm here for ya." Almost instantly; Stella, Carol and Dana all sounded off their own pledges to help him.

Finally, Lincoln turned his attention towards Ronnie Anne and Carlotta; hoping that he would have _their_ support as well. Alas, he was met with a pair of frowning faces; which made Lincoln's heart sink. "We'd love to help you, dude...really" Ronnie Anne murmured, "but I've been away for too long and who knows how worried the family will get, if we stay another day."

Almost immediately, Carlotta murmured in agreement with her cousin; proclaiming her _Abuela_ might have a conniption, if they didn't return home soon. "But rest assured, dude; we'll tell the whole family what's been happening, once we get back" she assured him, "be certain of that." In that moment, Lincoln was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion; happy to have the support of so many people.

Then, much to the two ladies' surprise; Lincoln suddenly embraced each of them in a tight hug. Upon hugging Ronnie Anne; the former couldn't help but stiffen up, at first. After all, a tough gal like her wasn't known for showing off that much affection.

But for moments like this, she put her pride aside and happily returned the hug. Now Carlotta, on the other hand was more than willing to accept such a hug from him. The moment Lincoln approached her, Carlotta scooped him up and embraced him, adding a light peck on the forehead for good measure.

"I mean it, you know; the moment we get home, I'm going straight to Ronnie Anne's mother with the news" she declared, "I just hope Bobby's sweet heart will be able to take it." With that said, everyone turned towards Liam's father and bade him goodbye. But before they left, he quickly offered to share some lemonade; both to refresh them all and to reward the group for their efforts.

Without hesitation, everyone immediately took up on the man's offer and followed him inside the house. But Lincoln found himself lingering behind slightly, his mind thinking about the trial on the horizon. "I never expected things to escalate up to something like _this_, folks" Lincoln confessed to the viewer, "I mean...whether I win or lose in court, I feel like I may still end up paying the price."

(AN: How do you end an otherwise peaceful chapter...why; with a huge bombshell and a cliffhanger, of course! MUAHAHAHAHAHA! What do y'all think will happen to Lincoln, as the story goes on? Who will win the trial, who will lose...and will Lincoln leave the court unscathed? Find out next time...until then, see ya real soon.)

(Second AN: If the scenes with Carlotta getting stuck felt off to any of you, I apologize in advance. According to crafordbrian17, both scenes were "important" for me to add to the chapter; much like the shed scene in Chapter Twelve. I can assure you that this might be the last time such moments will be included in the story.

From here on out, it's only the drama and tasteful comedic moments that matter.)

(Third AN: The sleepover Lincoln pointed out at the start was a reference to the Loud House episode, Pasture Bedtime. Where a pool party near similar to the one set to happen later on in _this_ story took place. We can only hope that this time around, Lincoln will have a much more pleasant experience at Jordan's place; when the time comes)


	18. Chapter Seventeen: Bombshell

Carlotta Drops a Bombshell

Having completed their duty at the farm, Lincoln and Co. said their goodbyes to Liam and prepared to leave. But before he took so much as two steps, Lincoln stopped himself and turned towards his friend. "Hey, Liam...before I forget; Jordan's holding a pool party in a day or so" he stated, "it's supposed to be pretty fun and...I was wondering if...if you'd like to come."

At first, Liam's face glows with delight at the idea. But just as quickly as it came, it suddenly faded away into a slight frown. "Aw...that's right neighborly to invite me, Lincoln" he murmured, "but I don't wanna impose on your good times...you go enjoy yourself." Upon hearing this, Carol and Dana gasped with shock at his refusal.

As Lincoln made another attempt to invite his friend; Liam, once again, rejected the offer. "To be honest, it's for the best" he murmured, "y'all don't need a country bumpkin fowlin' up such a nice get together...I'll be fine." Then, Carol approached the boy and did something that took him completely off-guard; she took him in her arms and hugged him affectionately.

"Liam, you were such a good instructor for us; when we were helping you" she said warmly, "so...on Jordan's behalf, I would be honored if you'd join us at the party." Poor Liam's mind, in that moment was caught up in a swirl of emotions. He felt happy, excited, anxious, confused and nervous all at once...and it felt great.

"I might take y'all up on the offer...on two conditions" he said suddenly, "I'll go if my Pa says it's okay...and if I might bring some of my Mee Maw's hush puppies, even though she might have quite a bit of viddles already." No sooner had he said this, Liam's father happily granted him permission to go. Furthermore, he'd make sure to whip up the hush puppies ahead of time...once Grammy showed him the recipe, that is.

Liam also asked if Clyde, Zach and Rusty could join in too. "Why not, we feel a little bad for keeping Linky from his old posse for so long" Carol said with a chuckle, "best to make up for all that lost time." Everyone cheered with joy at this news, especially Lincoln; who was happy that his new and old friends would be hanging out together with him.

Unfortunately, there were two among them who could not share in the excitement; namely Ronnie Anne and Carlotta.

(Line Break)

Sometime after leaving the farm, the entire Gal Pals crew and their male companions were all called up to come and say "see you later" to their two friends. With their business in Royal Woods done, the time had come for Ronnie Anne and Carlotta to head back to the apartment complex. As they returned to their car, several of the girls approached the ladies to say goodbye.

"It's a drag that you guys have to leave so soon" Dana grumbled, "we should definitely touch base again as soon as possible." Carlotta happily agreed with the idea and did a quick number swap with each of the High School girls. "I'm just happy me and my Cuz were able to help you guys out" Carlotta stated, "rest assured, our help won't be stopping here."

When Lincoln asked what the girls planned to do, Ronnie Anne softly shushed him. "No spoilers, lame-o...it'll ruin the surprise" she said with a soft giggle, "but trust me when I say that we'll have loads to share with our family, when we get home." Still feeling eager, Lincoln tried to get a little hint of what his friend planned to do.

But once again, she denied his wishes; albeit in a joking manner. Soon after that, the two shared a good laugh with each other and exchanged a high five. "I really do hate to leave...but if I don't get back soon, Sid might get a little worried about me" Ronnie Anne said with a slight giggle, "you know how it is with besties."

Lincoln also shared a bit of a laugh at the statement, remembering all the times Clyde freaked out over being apart from _him._ "I hope I'll get the chance to meet Sid myself, someday" he stated, "that is...once all this business with my family is settled." The moment he said this, Ronnie Anne gave him a sympathetic look and patted him comfortingly on the shoulder.

"I know things have been...for lack of better words; balls to the wall crazy for you, dude" she murmured with a grim tone, "but you're not gonna face your troubles alone, ya hear!" No sooner had Ronnie Anne said this, Carlotta quickly chimed in; saying that she'll tell the family everything they saw and heard, once they got home. Lincoln clutched his hand lightly at his chest, feeling genuinely touched by the ladies' support.

Then, before anything else could be said; Lincoln suddenly leapt into Carlotta's arms and hugged her. Because this gesture happened so quickly, Carlotta lost her balance and fell over; landing safely on her bottom. "Easy does it with the PDA, bucko" she giggled softly, "don't want my cousin or the other ladies getting jealous."

This comment not only caused Ronnie Anne to blush profusely but several of the Gal Pals as well (namely Paige, Jordan and Cristina.) In an instant, Lincoln realized the rashness of his actions and quickly moved away from Carlotta. "Sorry about that, I just wanted...to thank you" he mumbled shyly, "you know...for bringing Ronnie Anne here, for standing up for me, helping me out...and stuff."

Upon seeing her friend becoming so timid, Ronnie Anne snapped him out of his state with a quick yet gentle arm jab. "Don't get mushy on us, lame-o" she said playfully, "just know that if anyone's gonna rag on you, it's gonna be me." At first, Christina assumed the girl meant she would tease Lincoln in the same manner his sisters have.

But everyone assured her that it was all Ronnie Anne strange way of being sweet, which Lincoln took no offense to. After giving Lincoln a quick hug goodbye, Carlotta made her way towards her car. Ronnie Anne however, decided to linger behind for just a moment; wishing to savor a couple more seconds together with her old friend.

"Smell you later, lame-o" she chuckled while playfully shoving Lincoln, "I'll make sure to tell the family you're doing okay so far." As Ronnie Anne walked over to the car herself, Lincoln quickly held her back and asked her if it was wise to inform her family about his situation. "I mean...it's bad enough that the entire town wants my family's collective heads on spikes" he murmured worriedly, "but if Bobby finds out...who knows what will happen."

His mind suddenly sees visions of what will happen, once Carlotta breaks the news to the family. The most frightful example involved Bobby breaking up with Lori.

Dream Bobby: I'm sorry, Lori...but I can't be involved with someone who treats their only brother so horribly; we are done!

(cut to a still image of Lori's face bearing a look of shock and horror. Sound effects of glass shattering ring out, as the image falls to pieces. But seconds later, Lori rises up from the rubble; her eyes blazing with fire and her teeth appearing sharp like dragon fangs.)

(Dream Lori growls viciously, begins sniffing around for something and then...she spots Lincoln on the ground; running in terror.)

Dream Lori: YOU ARE DEAD, YOU LITTLE TWEEEEEEEEEERRRP!

(Lincoln desperately tries to run far away from Lori. But due to her size, she catches up with him and snatches him up off the ground)

Dream Lori: I warned you what would happen if you caused Bobby to break up with me, you little rat!

(Dream Lincoln desperately tries to wriggle himself free but can't.)

Dream Lincoln: Please, Lori...don't hurt me, I didn't mean for this to happen!

(Smoke fumes out from Lori's mouth and the fire in her eyes burns even brighter. Then, she bares her teeth and prepares to do the unthinkable. She opens her mouth ever so slowly, which gives Lincoln an idea of what's to come.)

Dream Lincoln: Please...you can't do this, I'M YOUR BROTHER!

(At that moment, demonic versions of his other sisters appear behind Dream Lori. Then, much to Lincoln's horror; all ten of them say only one thing.)

Dream Loud Sisters: WE DON'T HAVE A BROTHER...YOU'RE JUST A MISTAKE!

(Dream Lori then tosses Lincoln into the air and opens her mouth.)

The real world Lincoln screams in terror at the idea of his eldest sister's wrath and prepares to run for cover. But before he can move a step, everyone quickly surrounded him in a group hug; clinging onto him with all their might. "Lincoln, don't worry so much about your sisters" Carol whispered soothingly, "things may be crazy now...but in time, all will be okay again."

Soon after that, everyone pulled away from Lincoln and gave him some breathing room. At first, the poor guy's breaths came out frantically; like he was a frightened Chihuahua in a thunder storm. But Haiku quickly helped calm him down by showing him some breathing techniques.

"With each breath you take in, think of something peaceful" she murmured, "something that helps put your mind at ease." Within moments, Lincoln followed the young Goth's instructions and began to think of more happy thoughts. He thought of hanging with Clyde, the fun he had (thus far) during Break and of course, reading comics in his bedroom...in his undies.

Overtime, his demeanor changed from panicked to a more relaxed look. "Ah! Thanks, Haiku...I really needed that" he said with a deep sigh of relief, "I should keep that in mind, next time I get stressed." Everyone chuckled at him softly and all agreed on his notion. "Glad to see your head's back on straight, Lincoln" murmured Ronnie Anne happily, "and don't worry about Bobby and Lori, we'll handle that."

With that; she climbed into the passenger seat of her cousin's car, buckled up and waved goodbye to everyone. Then, the engine revved up and the ladies went zooming off into the distance. During the drive, Ronnie Anne was surprisingly quiet; for much like Lincoln, she also wondered how Bobby would react to the news they would bring.

(Scene Change: Casagrandes Apartments)

Three hours later, Carlotta and Ronnie Anne arrived to find that the family was sitting down for lunch. Naturally, Grandma Rosa was making a tremendous spread and insisting that everyone present should eat their fill. Not wishing to appear rude, the ladies each took a plate and collected some food.

But once they took their seats; much to everyone's confusion, both Carlotta and Ronnie Anne just seemed to pick at everything with their silverware. "_Andale,_ girls; you must eat" Rosa called out emphatically, "the drive must have made you a little hungry." As if to prove her point, everyone suddenly heard Ronnie Anne's stomach give out a small gurgle. Yet in spite of this, she chose to ignore it and resumed picking at her plate.

This behavior didn't go unnoticed by her family. "Honey, is something wrong" questioned Mrs. Santiago worriedly, "usually, you eat at least _half_ of your grandmother's food." Thinking quickly, Ronnie Anne gave a nervous chuckle and said she might've just been tired.

"Before coming home, Carlotta and I helped Lincoln out at his friend's chicken farm" she explained, "a couple of his 'Gal Pals' were there too." Upon hearing this, Bobby tilted his head slightly and asked who the "Gal Pals" were and their affiliation with Lincoln. "It's a group consisting of some of Lincoln's classmates and a few you might remember from your old high school, _primo_" Carlotta said with a small chuckle, "does the name Carol Pingrey ring any bells, by chance?"

Upon hearing this question, Bobby suddenly pressed his hand to his left cheek and sighed. Even after all this time, he still recalled how he had to rush over to meet Lori; just mere moments after his wisdom teeth were pulled. "The name _does_ sound familiar, actually" he murmured slightly, "but what's she doin' with Linc?"

For a moment or two, both Carlotta and Ronnie Anne sat in an uneasy silence; unsure of how to proceed any further. Then, Carlotta confessed how their main issue wasn't telling them what was wrong. "Truth is, we're just worried about how you guys might respond to our news" she said simply, "or...more specifically, we're worried about how _Bobby_ will react."

This reveal immediately caught the aforementioned boy's attention and he urged the girls to tell their story. "To cut things short, you know all those reports we've been seeing on TV for some time" she asked, earning a few nods from the family; "well...it turns out they were all true, Lincoln's family _has_ gone off the rails!" The moment she said this, Carlotta halted Ronnie Anne's train of thought and clarified that not _all_ of the Louds were at fault...this time.

"Truth be told, half the family was on the grass; bawling their eyes out" she sighed, "I haven't seen waterworks like _that_ since I last went to see Boyz Will Be Boyz on stage." This news caused many of the family members, even the pets to frown sullenly. But soon, Bobby realized that something about Carlotta's story felt off.

"You said that _half_ of Lincoln's family was crying" he stated, "are you saying someone wasn't doing that; if so, who?" The moment he asked this, Bobby saw uneasy looks appear on both their faces; which meant they were both hiding a possibly huge secret. "Please, girls; you've got to tell me" he begged, "if anything happens to the little dude, Lori would have my head!"

No sooner had Bobby said this, Carlotta sighed deeply and decided to drop the bombshell. "Bobby...it's not _your_ head she's after...it's Lincoln's" she said grimly, "since she lost the golf game against Carol, your GF has been on a downward spiral of rage for the past week or so." Bobby gasped in shock at this reveal, which caused the taquito he was eating to drop from his mouth and land onto the floor.

For almost two minutes, the poor boy didn't speak or so much as move even the slightest inch. The frozen look of disbelief on his face gave him the likeness of a man frozen in stone from a Gorgon's gaze. Finally, Sergio perched atop Bobby's right shoulder and unleashed a shrill squawk; snapping him out of his daze.

"No disrespect meant, Nini" he mumbled softly, "but I'm finding it hard to believe you...my Lori would never want to hurt her own brother." Ronnie Anne couldn't help but scoff coldly at his words, before reminding him of all the times his girlfriend acted like a tyrant towards her siblings. "Face facts, Bobby; while I applaud your devotion...your girlfriend can be a total shrew" she said firmly, "I mean...do you not see the state my body is in?"

Upon saying this, Maria took a quick observation of her daughter's appearance and gasped with horror. _"Ay! __Dulce madre de santo dios__"_ she cried loudly, "look at all these bruises, the tears in your clothes and...and why is their mud all over you?" Ronnie Anne chuckled shyly at the last part and assured her mother that the mud was no big deal.

"Carlotta and I got a little dirty, while helping everyone down at a local farm" she stated, "Carlotta even got stuck on _two_ occasions, once when she tried to climb inside of the chicken coop and the second when she accidentally fell into the pig pen." Everyone shared a slight yet hearty laugh at this news, in spite of the young lady in question fuming with annoyance. But then; the laughter quickly ceased, the moment Maria brought up the bruises again.

"Did Lori do all that to you, Sis" Carl interjected softly, "if so...she is certainly a feisty one." Grandma Rosa quickly chastised the boy, a second later; proclaiming that now wasn't the right time for puppy love. "To answer your question, dude...no" Ronnie Anne replied grimly, "it was Lynn, she did this to both me _and_ Lincoln."

To say that the Casagrande Family was mortified by this news would be the understatement of the millennium. Grandpa Hector did his best to console his wife, as did Uncle Carlos tried to do with _his_ (who was wailing softly.) C.J. became worried about his friend, Lincoln and as for Bobby...his mind was in a whirlwind of emotions.

"Okay...I'm more than willing to believe that _Lynn_ hurt Lincoln" he murmured softly, "I mean, the little dude's always said she could be kinda intense...but I still don't believe Lori did anything wrong." As if expecting this, Carlotta took out her phone and showed him footage she took of the whole incident. In one clip, Lori said something that made Bobby's heart ache.

_"Listen here, twerp; we're done putting up with your attitude" _Lori growled in the clip, _"so, apologize to Mom and make up with everybody...or me and Lynn will make you do it, the hard way!"_ Then; at that moment, the clip ended and the phone showed of an image of Lori's angry face frozen on the screen. All Bobby could do was stare dumbfounded at the image of his lover's enraged expression.

"Lori...I can't believe this is happening" he mumbled while shaking his head in disbelief, "what about the rest of the sisters, are they just as mad as her?" Carlotta shook her head and explained that, aside from Lynn, the others didn't seem to have any anger in them anymore. "My guess is they got over their petty nonsense and wanted to make amends with Lincoln right away" she stated, "sadly, at the moment; he ain't hearin' it from any of them."

After that story was done; the room, once again, fell into a stone-cold silence. The next minute or so was spent with everyone trying their very best to comprehend what they've all seen and been told about, especially Bobby. Then, without warning; his cellphone suddenly let out a grumbling vibration noise.

Bobby plucked it out of his pocket and saw the caller ID of his lady love, which was coupled with a picture of her giving a sexy pout. "It's Lori...I better take this" he murmured, "maybe I'll be able to think straight, after she gives me _her_ side of the story." Almost instantly, everyone begged Bobby to reconsider his idea.

But Maria quickly interrupted everyone; proclaiming that in the end, the decision to talk with Lori was Bobby's alone. "Why don't you go to your room and chat with her in private, honey" she suggested, "we'll make sure not to disturb you." Bobby thanked his mother for the idea, kissed her forehead and walked into his room; closing the door behind him.

Not long after; Ronnie Anne, Carlotta, Rosa, Hector and even the pets stood outside the door and silently listened in as best as they could. Sadly, all they could hear was muffled conversations. But Lalo could sense the distress in his master's voice and whimpered softly.

Then, without warning; Lori's voice came out in muffled yet fierce screeches on the other side; causing Bobby to do whatever he could to calm her down. _"Babe...calm down and breathe"_ he said softly, _"now, what was it you said...you and your family are in jail?"_ The family gasped softly at this reveal but did their best to remain quiet.

Overtime, they learned that only Lori and Lynn were detained at the prison; while the rest of the family (due to showing some level of cooperation) had been released. But soon after that, the Casagrande Family and the two Santiago ladies could only hear every other word from Lori. Once again, Bobby tried to calm his girlfriend down as best as he could.

Unfortunately, he made the foolish mistake of saying that Lori's grudge against Carol was a smidge silly. This in turn, caused the young lady to fly into a vicious tirade; one that almost rocked the door off its hinges. Eventually, Bobby had no choice but to end the call and lock the phone away in a desk drawer (until further notice.)

When he stepped out of the room, everyone could see Bobby digging his fingers into his ears painfully and shaking his head; as if he had listened to an explosion go off. "So, _mijo_...give us the details" Grandpa Hector said anxiously, "what is happening with your girlfriend's family?" Everyone gasped in disapproval at the man's eagerness for gossip; while Bobby, on the other hand, remained silent.

When everyone else tried asking him what he heard; this time, in a more respectable manner...Bobby still said nothing. Finally, he let out a sigh and said he needed some space to think. "If anyone needs me, I'll be up on the roof" he murmured, "hopefully, the afternoon air will clear my head.

Before he left, Bobby's mother gently took hold of his shoulder and she asked him to explain what happened. "Long story short...Lori and Lynn are in the jail and the Louds will all going to court, by the end of the week" he answered bluntly, "I tried to calm her down but...whoever that was that called me, it's not _my _Lori." With that said, Bobby stepped out the door and made his way towards the stairway.

But as the family watched him leave, C.J. and Ronnie Anne swore they saw tears trickling down his cheeks. "Jeez...the Louds drama sure is causing loads of trouble" Carlotta sighed, "it'll be a miracle if in the end, Lori and Bobby's relationship survives this whole thing."

(Line Break)

Up on the roof of the apartment complex, Bobby sat alone; watching the clouds roll past the afternoon sun. His mind was caught at a terrible crossroads. On one hand; as a devoted boyfriend, Bobby felt it was his duty to assist and comfort Lori in her hour of need.

But on the other hand, he loved Lincoln like the little brother he never had. Before moving to Great Lakes, the two of them actually had the chance to hang out together...and they both loved it. Since then, Bobby felt close to Lincoln; so, the idea of seeing the little dude in trouble terrified him.

He didn't know what to do; whatever decision he went with, Bobby felt like he'd be betraying the other. _"Linc...I hope you're someplace safe, my dude"_ he thought to himself worriedly while gazing at the clouds, _"I love you and your sister too much to lose either of you."_ With that thought in mind, Bobby laid himself down atop the roof and gazed at the sky; the tears in his eyes now flowing more freely.

(AN: Poor Bobby...his devotion is admirable but in this case, exceptions must be made. What will happen in the days ahead, who will Bobby decide to support in the trial and what will the rest of his family do to help...find out next time on Gal Pals.)

(Second AN: The Spanish phrase Mrs. Santiago mutters when she sees Ronnie Anne's disheveled state means "Sweet Mother of Holy God," which is an appropriate thing to say; when you've seen someone look as roughed up as Ronnie Anne did)


	19. Chapter Eighteen: It's Party Time

It's Party Time!

It was now Day Seven into Spring Break and throughout the town of Royal Woods...all appeared oddly quiet yet pleasant. The sun was shining, the birds were singing and the skies were as blue and clear as the sea. Truly, this was a serene scene...for about a few moments.

In what felt like an instant, the quiet atmosphere was suddenly shattered by the loud outcry of "CANNONBALL!" As the camera pans to Jordan's backyard, we find a young boy diving into a large pool. All around, sounds of children young and old laughing could be heard; as Jordan's much anticipated pool party went underway.

From all over town, kids young and old were present; including Lincoln's two posses of friends. Zach was down by the face-painting booth and was giving him a sort of "alien zombie" style look. Rusty was showing off some dance moves over at the DJ booth, earning a few giggles from female onlookers (some of which were moderately flirtatious) and Liam was down by the buffet.

There, he was sharing some of his family's hush puppies with a few of the guests. "Get 'em while they're hot, everybody" Liam called out, "they's fresh from the oven and full of lovin'!" There were collective murmurs of satisfaction and delight emanating from the crowd, as they popped the small cornmeal balls into their mouths.

"Wow, these rock" Cici gasped with delight, "were they made from scratch or were they store bought?" Liam's father gasped dramatically, as if shocked by the young lady's suggestion. "You'll find no store bought ingredients in my goods, lil' miss" he said firmly, "with the exception of the flour, everything in them hush puppies came from produce grown from the family garden."

No sooner had he said this; several people were asking the farmer if he would let them buy some of his produce from him, someday. Though slightly overwhelmed by all the sudden attention, he happily complied. Meanwhile, some of the grade school and Middle School kids were seen sliding down the inflatable slide Jordan's parents set up.

As each kid took turns on the slide, Kat found herself hesitating fearfully in the line. Before getting there; her friends, Lance and Trent, dared her to go down the slide...face first. But she tried to weasel out of it, proclaiming she didn't want to get water up her nose.

Much to her dismay, several other kids were urging her to give it a shot; all while loudly shouting "go, go, go!" Finally, with a reluctant sigh; Kat agreed and took her place in line. When the time came for her to go, Kat eased herself down onto the slide atop her belly.

"Well...here goes nothing" she muttered softly, "could someone give me a push?" Without a moment's hesitation, a kid from behind pushed Kat by her feet and she slid down like a sled. In an instant, she suddenly landed into the water before she could even yelp.

Five seconds later, she came rising out from the deep; letting out a quick cough to clear the pool water from her mouth. From the sidelines, she could hear Chandler and the crew trying to suppress their laughter. "See, Kat; we told ya there wasn't anything to worry about" Lance muttered through tight lips, "wasn't that fun?"

Kat glared at her group of friends for a moment, feeling slightly bothered at how they were laughing at her expense. But then, an idea began to form in her head. "You're right, Lance; that _was_ fun" she murmured deviously, "but I've got something better in mind."

Before anything else could be said, Kat quickly rushed over towards the diving board; catching the attention of all the swimmers. Upon seeing this, Chandler and his crew paled nervously; knowing full well what was to come. "Now, Kitty...let's not be hasty" Lance murmured nervously, "we were just messing around...honest!"

Alas, their pleading fell onto deaf ears; as Kat started doing a few bounces on the board. Finally, after the fifth bounce; she went airborne and sailed over the pool. The boys let out a collective shriek, as they desperately tried to run away from the "splash zone."

Unfortunately, they weren't able to get very far; for the moment Kat landed into the pool, a wave of water suddenly flew out and washed over the three boys. This dive caused everyone to erupt in a loud victory cheer, while Chandler and Co. spluttered bitterly in annoyance. The moment she caught sight of her friends' discomfort; Kat quickly shouted out "wasn't that fun, guys?"

At first; Chandler, Lance and Trent all slouched slightly in annoyance at their lady friend's laughter. But then, each of them smiled slightly and proceeded to jump into the pool; making Kat even wetter than she already was. "Those were some good dives, guys" chuckled Jordan at the sandwich table, "but I doubt that will beat Lincoln's cannonball record."

The moment she said her friend's name, Jordan suddenly felt something was amiss around them. "Speaking of which, has anyone seen Lincoln around recently" she asked several people around her, "hopefully he didn't forget about the party." Some of Jordan's friends quickly sounded off murmurs of "I ain't seen him yet," "I thought he was with you" or a simple "no."

"I heard that sometime after we all finished up at the farm, Lincoln went off to bunk at Clyde for the night" Zach exclaimed, "he must be putting on his suit there." The moment he said this; Dana, who was sunbathing with Carol and Becky, said she didn't see him at the McBride house. "I think one of Clyde's dads said that he went down to the Copy Shop" she stated, "the reason why he went there is beyond me."

Though her older friend's news did give Jordan some comfort, she still felt slightly concerned. Of all people, she expected Lincoln and Clyde to be among the first people that arrived. Mind you, the party had just begun only an hour ago; so, it wasn't like Lincoln was missing too much.

Still, she wondered where he could be and if he was in the right spirits to join the fun. All was silent for a few moments, until Jordan suddenly felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw a text that read "on the way, had to stop and pick up something; Signed, Clincoln McCloud."

Soon after she read this, a smile as bright as the sun slowly formed on her face. "Wow, Jordan; you look happy" Stella said from behind her, "did you see a cute online video or something?" Jordan shook her head and said that the "guest of honor" was on his way with Clyde.

This news brought smiles aplenty to each of the Gal Pals' collective faces, who had all feared Lincoln wouldn't be coming. "Happy to hear the little man is on his way" Chaz said while approaching the pool, "I'm anxious to see one of his infamous cannonballs up close." Five or ten minutes later, Jordan's mother was seen taking Ajax for a walk; when a vehicle pulled up at the front sidewalk of Jordan's house.

Then, the side door opened and she could see both Lincoln and Clyde stepping out of the car. "Oh, good; they're here" the woman said with glee, "Jordan and everyone will be so pleased to hear about this." As she prepared to go and break the news to everyone, Ajax began to bark excitedly and tried to rush forward.

Unfortunately for him, Ajax was still on his leash and his master wasn't willing to let go. So, he began to relentlessly try to pull himself free from her grip. "Naughty boy, Ajax...heel" cried the woman while pulling on the dog's leash, "don't break Mama's arm off please...calm down!"

Alas, her commands went unheard and her grip on the leash was starting to weaken. Finally, fatigue got the better of Jordan's mother and she loosened her hold; which gave Ajax the chance to run freely. Like a bat flying out of a cave, the dog made a beeline straight for Lincoln.

(Line Break)

Meanwhile, the aforementioned boy was lingering near the back seat of the McBride car; collecting something from the floor. "Man, everybody's gonna love what I've brought" Lincoln chuckled to himself, "do you think we've printed out enough of them for everybody, Clyde?" The young McBride boy patted his friend reassuringly on the shoulder and told him they had more than enough.

Just as Lincoln got the box out and prepared to close the car door, he was suddenly tackled from behind by Ajax. This sudden ambush caused the box Lincoln was holding to fly high into the air. Thinking quickly, Clyde rushed forward and caught the box; just as it came close to crashing onto the ground.

Meanwhile, Lincoln laughed uncontrollably; as Ajax assaulted his face with a flurry of dog kisses. "Okay...O-Okay, Ajax; I'm...happy to see you too" he gasped between chuckles, "can I please get up now?" As if on cue, Jordan's mother quickly arrived and did her best to pull the dog off of Lincoln.

"I am so sorry that happened, dear" she murmured, "I hope Ajax didn't hurt you, when he knocked you over." After taking a moment to wipe his cheeks clean of dog drool, Lincoln assured the woman that he was fine. "Sorry I'm late, Ma'am, Clyde's dads had to help me go pick up something" he said apologetically, "hope I didn't hold up anything."

Once again, Jordan's mother stared in awe at Lincoln's considerate nature and smiled. "Not at all, Lincoln" she chuckled reassuringly, "things are actually getting started, I'll tell everyone you're here." Just as the boys prepared to walk away, Howard McBride quickly rushed out of the car and enveloped Clyde in a loving hug.

"You and Lincoln have fun today" he said sweetly, "your father and I will come pick you up at five." After that, Harold McBride proceeded do a checklist with Clyde; making sure he had all his necessary provisions. "Now, remember; wait _at least_ thirty minutes after eating, before you go for a swim" he instructed, "give us a call at home, if anything feels amiss and most of all...have fun."

With that; the McBride Couple returned to their car, Lincoln thanked them for the ride and everyone went their separate ways. As they went up the walkway, Jordan's mother noticed the box Lincoln was holding and wondered what was inside. "Do you need help with that box, dear" she asked, "I'm not saying I doubt your own strength or anything, it just looks rather big."

Lincoln shook his head slightly and assured the woman he was fine, while still thanking her for her offer of assistance. Within moments, the trio arrived at the backyard; causing the music to revelry to suddenly stop. Upon seeing everyone's eyes on him, Lincoln suddenly became rather self-conscious.

After almost thirty seconds, Lincoln chuckled nervously and managed to find his voice. "Uh...hey, everybody" he murmured shyly, "are you all...having a good time so far?" What happened next was so unexpected, it even caused Clyde to jump for cover.

Before he could even blink, several of the Gal Pals rushed over and hoisted Lincoln into the air in their arms. Clyde meanwhile, was being carried over atop of Chaz's shoulders. Once he was let down, Lincoln placed his box on an empty chair and greeted everyone respectively.

Soon after that; Carol, Becky, Dana and Whitney suddenly squeezed him from all sides in a group hug. Jordan giggled at the sight and said she was happy he could make it. "We were all worried you wouldn't show, Linc" she stated, "care to explain where you were?"

With a nervous chuckle, Clyde stepped forth and said he and Lincoln had to make a quick stop at the copy shop. "Lincoln will be happy to explain what we needed there" he stated, "but first...the girls will have to let him get some air in his lungs." Upon hearing this, Carol and her friends turned their heads and saw that Lincoln's face was changing color.

With an alarmed gasp, they broke away and helped their friend back onto his feet. "I'm so sorry about that, Linky" murmured Dana worriedly, "we didn't squeeze you too hard, did we?" Lincoln took a moment to clear his throat and smiled at the trio. "Don't you worry, I've been hugged that way more times than I can count" he stated, "just don't put me into any tight headlocks."

At that moment, there was a loud outcry of "no promises" and Lincoln was swiftly ambushed by Joey from behind. After lightly locking his young friend in his arms, Joey then proceeded to noogies him in greeting. "Welcome to the party, dude" he said with a hearty chuckle, "ready to take a dive?"

Just as Lincoln prepared to answer; he caught sight of Ajax sniffing at the box, quickly broke free and rushed over. At the last moment, he snatched the box away and held it over his head. "Sorry, lil' buddy...but there's nothing in this box for doggies" he murmured softly, "wanna play fetch instead?"

The dog's ears perked up slightly, upon hearing the suggestion and he began to bark excitedly. Soon after that, Lincoln spotted a nearby Frisbee and threw it across an open space of the yard. He did this for a minute or two, until Ajax finally had enough and plonked down on the grass tiredly.

"There ya go, bud; that's was some good exercise" Lincoln said while stroking Ajax's head, "we'll play again later...but Uncle Lincoln wants to jump in the pool first, okay?" In response, the pup gave him a light yip and licked his hand affectionately. With that matter settled, Lincoln prepared to head down poolside.

But rather than head for the diving board; instead, Lincoln simply dipped his feet into the water slightly. Confused by this, Jordan approached Lincoln and asked why he wasn't attempting at one of his famous cannonballs. "Are you sure you're okay" she asked with some concern, "I mean...if you didn't mention the copy shop thing, I almost thought you didn't want to come."

The slightly hurt tone in his lady friend's voice tugged at Lincoln's heartstrings terribly. It was as if they were being pulled at by either a heavy stone or a pair of giant lobster claws. "Believe you me, Jordan; I'm happy to be here" he stated, "of all the stuff I've done this week, your party has been the thing I've been most excited about."

While this explanation did give Jordan _some_ reassurance, she could tell he was hiding something. "If something's bothering you...tell me" she insisted slightly, "whatever the issue is, we can fix it together." At first, Lincoln hesitated a little; feeling unsure of how to present his thoughts.

But after hearing Jordan's words a few seconds ago; coupled with the love, friendship and support he had from the other Gal Pals over the course of Spring Break, Lincoln realized he had nothing to fear. "Okay...I'll tell you the truth" he said after letting out a deep sigh, "but you've gotta promise you won't laugh or judge me on what I have to say." At that moment, Carol pulled up her sunglasses and saw the two preteens chatting in silence.

"Uh-oh, my ears are burning" she cooed playfully, "are you two gossiping or are you flirting?" Upon hearing the latter comment; both Lincoln and Jordan blushed so deeply, it looked like they had severe sunburn. After assuring them she was only playing around, Carol got serious and asked what was going on.

"Lincoln was about to explain why he hasn't gone swimming yet" Jordan stated, "as well as why he was running a little late earlier." Intrigued, Carol and her crew positioned themselves in such a way that they could hear the boy's whole story. However, Lincoln did not expect the possibility of others wanting to listen and began to feel quite anxious.

"C'mon, sweetie; you can tell us anything" Whitney said sweetly, "you're our little dude and we want you to be happy." The other ladies softly murmured in reply, assuring Lincoln that they wanted the same thing for him. Once again, Lincoln's heart swelled at their kindness; just as it did in the days before.

"Believe me, girls when I say that...these past few days have been some of the absolute _best_ in my life" he said while tearing up softly, "you've all been such awesome friends...which sometimes, made me think I don't deserve you." The ladies all gasped in shock and huddled around Lincoln for support. "Lincoln Loud, how could you think that way about yourself" questioned Stella, "of course you deserve us as your friends."

While he appreciated the kind words, Lincoln couldn't help but chuckle softly in a sarcastic tone. "Really...are you sure about that" he asked bitterly, "after all the times I've screwed up peoples lives, got some of y'all in trouble or got my teachers mad...I deserve you gals as my friends?" Upon sensing his sadness, Clyde approached Lincoln and patted him lightly on the shoulder.

Soon after, Carol approached Lincoln and gave him a reassuring hug. "Believe me when I tell you, Linc that you're not the only one who's made bad decisions or mistakes" she murmured, "out of curiosity, did you ever hear your sister talk about the time I had a job at the mall once?" At first, Lincoln didn't know what Carol was talking about.

But after thinking for a moment, he recalled a time where Lori said she swore she spotted Carol at the Pretzel Wagon. "From what I heard, your wagon was rather popular" he stated, "but...what does _that_ have to do with anything?" After letting out a giggle, Carol explained that the only reason it was "popular" was because people liked soft pretzels.

"I only worked there because I made the mistake of jacking up my cellphone bill, several weeks before" she said with a soft groan, "I had salt flakes, mustard and melted butter covering my nails for half a month!" Though the ordeal didn't seem too grim, Lincoln still felt a twinge of remorse for his elder lady friend. Whitney then chimed in with a story of her own.

"To cut it short; the next time your folks to clean the drain after brushing/washing your hair, you best do it lickety split" she said firmly, "I, however forgot about it and bits of my poofy hair started clogging up the drain!" At the end of the tale, Whitney said that she had to help pay for the plumbing repairs out of her own pocket. Dana added her own tale to the discussion, one that involved a little fight between her and Chaz that went...a little too far.

"I had never seen my dad that angry before" she whimpered, "Chaz swore he almost saw a vein forming in-between his eyebrows." Lincoln couldn't help but chuckle a little at all the stories. Not because he relished in everyone's misfortune...but the fact that they all faced similar moments of shame.

"At the end of the day, dude; nobody's perfect" Becky stated, "but then again...why would we _want_ to be, perfection's boring!" This statement caused the girls to suddenly burst out laughing with Lincoln and Clyde eventually, joining in. "Make sure not to say that in front of my sister, Lola; B" Lincoln said between breaths, "as she puts it... (ahem) 'perfection is everything."

The added element of Lincoln's impression caused everyone to laugh uproariously, once again. "See..._this_ is why you're our pal" Dana said with a small cough, "you're so much fun to be around." Lincoln smiled at the girl and thanked her for the compliment.

But then, his mood became moderately somber and Lincoln decided to reveal his other reasons for acting strange. "First off; like I said before, this Spring Break has been the absolute best" he said emphatically, "it's so great...that I can't help but wonder if this is all a dream and that I'll wake up back home at any moment." No sooner had he said this, Haiku suddenly appeared behind him.

Before Lincoln could so much as yelp, she quickly dropped an ice cube into his trunks; which then caused him to dance about frantically. Once he managed to shake it out, Lincoln sighed with relief and quickly glared at the young Goth. "What did you do that for" he said with slight annoyance, "I didn't even see you come up behind me!"

When Lincoln went on to say how cold the ice cube felt between his legs, Haiku only smiled. "There is your proof, then; Lincoln" she murmured, "if this _was_ a dream, you wouldn't have felt that chill." The young lad took a moment to let Haiku's words sink in and then, he realized she was right.

"Okay...you got me there" he admitted, "but I'm still worried that something or _someone_ is going to suddenly pop outta nowhere and crash the party." Almost immediately, the girls realized that the "someone" Lincoln was referring to might've been one of his sisters. They couldn't blame him, though; after all that had happened, he couldn't help but feel paranoid.

Then, without saying a word; Dana silently approached Lincoln, took him up in her arms and kissed his forehead. "Don't you worry your handsome lil' head, Linky" she assured him, "if your family tries to crash another party of ours, we've got your back; just like at the park." With that said, every member of the Gal Pals shouted in agreement; even the parents.

"Besides; even if your family _does_ try to crash the party, it will do them no good" Mrs. Pingrey stated, "we made certain of that." Lincoln tilted his head slightly in confusion and asked what the woman was talking about. "You see, Linky; after that park incident, my parents and all the others put out a restraining order on your family" Carol explained, "until the court date arrives, they're forbidden to come within fifteen feet of us."

While this news _did_ give Lincoln some comfort, he still feared that one of his sisters would try and get close to him. But then, another thought came into his head. Before they were all taken from the park, Lincoln saw that eight of his sisters felt genuine remorse for what they did.

Yet, there were _two_ among them who didn't seem to share the same feelings as their other sisters did; Lori and Lynn. Not only had they refused to ask for Lincoln's forgiveness. But instead, they expected _him_ to demand forgiveness; as if the whole incident was _his _fault.

So, while Lincoln felt assured that the rest of his family would adhere to the restraining order; he doubted that Lori or Lynn would. "What if one or two of them tries to get me while you're all not around" he asked nervously, "Lynn is out for my blood...and she's dangerous, when she's like that." Cici and Phoebe couldn't help but groan slightly, not because they thought Lincoln was exaggerating but because they were quite familiar with that side of Lynn already.

"Don't you worry, dude; if that ever happens, give us a buzz" Cici said while gesturing at her phone, "once we see your call, we'll head right over." Once more, Lincoln tried to present another possible worst case scenario regarding his sisters. But this fear was quickly silenced from a twelve-sided group hug.

"You're our friend, Lincoln and we love you" Cristina said, much to Lincoln's surprise; "no matter what, we'll do what we can to help." The boy suddenly felt his eyes well up with tears but nevertheless, gave them all a most loving grin. "Thanks, girls; your words mean a lot to me" he said gratefully, "now...on to the other reason why I'm nervous about diving."

With that statement, everyone's sadness instantly gave way to intrigue and they asked what other secrets he was hiding. "Well...it's kinda embarrassing" he muttered with a faint blush, "but...I'm worried that I might lose my trunks, if I do a cannonball." When asked why he had such a fear; Lincoln explained that before his family was banned, he performed such a dive in the community pool.

"The splash I created made everyone cheer, even the lifeguard" Lincoln said with a sliver of pride, "but then...my Fifteen Seconds of Fame became Fifteen Seconds of Shame." He then went on to explain that after the dive, everyone's cheers turned into laughter. "Apparently; the dive caused my suit to slip off of me, when I was underwater" he grumbled, "the worst part was Luan got a picture on her phone...and Lola uses it anytime she wants to blackmail me."

Upon hearing this, the Gal Pals' parents shook their heads in disappointment; feeling ashamed that one so young would use such methods against her own brother. "Since then, I had been afraid to make another cannonball" Lincoln murmured, "I'm worried that same incident will happen again...or something worse." Just as Lincoln prepared to let his shame overwhelm him, Jordan chimed in and assured him that he had nothing to worry about.

"Trust me, dude; you don't have to worry about looking like a fool here" she stated, "because someone else beat ya to that." To prove her point, she took out her phone and played a video that was recorded near the end of March. In it, one of the guests made a cannonball of his own in the pool.

But unbeknownst to the diver, he noticed something floating up to the surface; something long...and brown. "Long story short, this guy ate a liiiittle too much before making his jump" Jordan explained with a grimace, "the moment he hit the water, he...well, you know the rest." Everyone suddenly groaned with disgust, feeling mildly horrified at what they had witnessed.

Even Rocky almost felt too disgusted to finish off the sub he had made...almost. But in less than four seconds, he quickly finished it off. "The point is, Linc; even if you lose your trunks, it won't be anywhere near as humiliating as that" Jordan assured, "besides, that sort of thing has happened to a lot of us...even me."

At that moment, someone stepped out of the crowd and shared her own experience with embarrassment at the pool. She appeared to be twenty tears of age, wore an orange dress with a small leather jacket over her top. She had a pair of sunglasses (that looked almost identical to Leni's) atop her curly brunette hair, had a voluptuous "belle shaped" form and wore long black boots over her feet.

"It happened to me when I was in college" she explained, "I took a jump off the high dive and landed rather gracefully." Before she could continue, Lincoln saw a bright blush appear on the woman's face. "What happened, did the dive somehow get kicked out" he asked worriedly, "or did something worse happen?"

After taking in a calm breath, the woman finished her story. "Though my dive was both successful and elegant, it came at a cost" she grumbled, "when I hit the pool, my top fell off and one of the Frat Boys stole it!" There was a loud groan of disapproval from the ladies. Even Lincoln couldn't help but shake his head in annoyance...and he was a boy himself.

"I'm sorry that happened to you, ma'am" he said apologetically, "I hope that jerk got what was coming to him, eventually." The woman smiled adorably at his response and quickly rewarded him with a tight squeeze of a hug. "Oooh! Looks like we've got a gentleman among us, ladies" she said with a giggle, "one of y'all best snatch him up before I do."

After a minute of bliss from the hug, Lincoln was placed back on the ground and quickly mumbled he was happy to help. "Nobody, man or woman should have to deal with that stuff" he said boldly, "am I right, Miss...uh...forgive me but I don't know how to address you." The woman giggled softly and offered Lincoln a slight curtsy.

"Name's Sandra Belle, my little friend" she said in greeting, "but my old dorm room pals used to call me Thicc Q.T...bet you can guess why." Upon taking another close look at her, Lincoln only offered a shy nod of the head; all while hiding a slight blush forming on his face. "Okay, enough jibber-jabbering" Joey called out while floating around in an inner tube, "c'mon, Linc...give the people what they want!

Soon, everybody around Lincoln began to clap their hands or stomp their feet; all while chanting the word "cannonball." At first, Lincoln hesitated a little; still feeling worried that he might humiliate himself. But after hearing everyone's stories, he felt a small spark of confidence burning inside of him.

"Okay...since you all asked nicely, I'll give you a cannonball" he declared, "I advise a good number of you to find dry shelter, especially those of you who don't want to get wet." Upon hearing this warning, several people in the pool began to swim back slightly while chuckling with anticipation. At the same time, those outside of the pool (like Carol, Whitney and even Cristina) all scurried off to a dry distance.

Once everyone was prepared; Lincoln took his place on the board, did a few bounces and finally sent himself airborne. He soared almost three feet off the ground before descending, all while shouting "CANNONBALL!" Seconds later, Lincoln landed in the water; creating both a large splash and waves that traveled all the way to the other end of the pool.

Meanwhile, the water from the splash began to rain down on many people _outside_ of the pool. There were many squeals of shock, soft shrieks and giggles from the crowd; along with a few gasps of amazement. Finally, Lincoln resurfaced from the water and took in a deep lungful of air.

"YES! I think that was the best dive I've done yet" he cheered, "what's your verdict, everybody?" As he turned around to face the crowd, Lincoln could see everyone's eyes staring at him. This caused the poor lad to think he lost his suit in the splashdown...or worse.

But then, he looked down and sighed with relief; for his trunks were still tied firmly around his waist. _"Phew! I guess I'm safe in that regard" _he sighed softly, _"but wait...did I...make a bit of a mess with my cannonball?"_ With this thought in mind, Lincoln gulped nervously and expected everyone to rush him angrily for getting them wet.

But then, an interesting sound suddenly reached his ears; the sound of a pair of hands clapping. Lincoln looked at the other end of the pool and spotted Joey applauding him. Then, Jordan and Stella joined in the applause; then Carol joined in, followed by Becky, Whitney and Dana.

Before long, everyone around him began clapping their hands; which was later followed by loud cheers and whooping. "OMG! That was awesome" cried Phoebe, "I haven't seen that big of a blast of water since I went to Grand Venture State Park and I saw the geyser go off! As Lincoln climbed out of the pool, he was suddenly hoisted up onto Chaz's shoulders and everyone began chanting his name in victory.

Once he was placed onto a chair, several people went over to congratulate him. "That was the best cannonball I've seen you do in a long time, Lincoln" Clyde said with pride, "I think it beats out the one you did last year." Next, a girl named Mollie approached Lincoln and gave him a pat on the back.

"Looks like you get to keep your cannonball record, dude" she said with praise, "but there's always next year." Lincoln smiled confidently at her and proclaimed he was up to the challenge. After that, he quickly made another jump into the pool; ready to have a friendly swim. Before long, several others decided to join in with him; including some of the parents.

(Line Break)

Sometime after Lincoln's cannonball display, he went over to the Sandwich Station and made himself a nice meatball sub. After that, he took a seat at the face painting booth; where he asked the artist to give him a pair of Ace symbols on his cheeks, a club on his forehead and a diamond on his chin. Once finished, Lincoln complimented the artist on her work and went off to the food buffet for some snacks.

But just before he could get in line, he spotted Jordan and Stella trying to sneak peeks inside of his box. "HEY! NO SNOOPING OVER THERE" he shouted, "you'll have to wait until later to see the surprise." This statement caused the ladies to both pout and grumble bitterly.

"Oh...C'moooon, Lincoln; can't we just have a small peek" begged Cristina, "we promise not to tell anyone else about it!" Upon hearing this, Lincoln gave a slight shake of the head and said the idea would be pointless. "In time, what I have in this box will be seen all over the country or even the world" he decreed, "that is...if I'm lucky."

Upon hearing about how Lincoln's surprise might be seen by the entire world, everyone became even more anxious. "Pwease, Winky...with sugar and spwinkles on top" Dana said with puppy dog eyes and a babyish voice, "just a teeny, tiny peek in the box?" Soon after, the other ladies started giving him the same look (except for Haiku, who simply gave a sort of "sad clown frown.")

After almost thirty seconds, Lincoln came close to breaking. But then, an idea began to form in his mind; one that he believed would appease everybody. "I'm not gonna show you what's inside...yet" he said firmly, "not until we work off our snackage with a little dancing and karaoke."

While still feeling a little disappointed in not getting to see the surprise yet, everyone unanimously agreed on the idea. That was when Jordan's father made a gesture to the DJ to start the music. Before long, everybody was either dancing on the grass or dancing in the pool.

But while everyone else was dancing with a relative ease; Clyde, Zach, Liam and Rusty all lingered on the sidelines shyly. "Come on, boys; it's time to dance" urged Sandra, "get out on the floor and strut your stuff." With a nervous gulp, Clyde confessed that he didn't know how to dance very well.

"Same here, gals" Liam sighed, "anytime I try to dance, I end up trippin' over myself faster than a faun walkin' 'cross a frozen lake." The girls all gasped with surprise at this revelation and asked the others if _they_ had similar troubles. "Guilty as charged, ladies" Zach mumbled with shame, "the only dance I know is the robot...and all that does is cause girls to laugh at me."

The ladies all looked sympathetically at the boys, feeling heartbroken that they had such little confidence in themselves. "Sorry you guys had poor dancing experiences" Haiku mumbled, "but maybe, you just didn't have the right partners at the time." Upon saying this; she along with Giggles, Polly Pain and Tabby took each of the boys by the hand and smiled.

Only Lincoln was left solo on the dance floor...but in all honesty, he didn't mind. Truthfully, he already had something else in mind. Once he took his place next to the karaoke machine, Lincoln asked to make a song request. The DJ smiled at him and asked what song he had in mind?

Deciding to keep it a surprise, Lincoln approached the booth and whispered in the DJ's ear. Then, after a quick browse through his song library; he found what he needed. "Just get into position and I'll take care of the rest, dude" the DJ instructed, "shake a leg out there!"

After giving a thumbs up, Lincoln hurried back to the machine and took up the mic. Then, the music came to a sudden halt; causing several people to almost slip over themselves. "Sorry for the sudden time out, folks" the DJ said apologetically, "but we have someone who's ready to kick things off with some karaoke."

Then, the spotlight suddenly turned on and everyone looked to see where it was pointing at. There were gasps aplenty, when they saw Lincoln at the machine; his hair glossed back into a pompadour like how it was at the spa. "This lil' man is gonna sing a lil' ditty for all the wild ones out there tonight" exclaimed the DJ, "get ready...because It's Party Time by James Jonah."

Once the announcement was made; Lincoln held up the mic, turned on the machine and struck a pose. Then, everyone saw his legs and hips swaying; which meant that he was ready to strut his stuff.

(the music kicks in)

_There's a place you gotta be  
A thousand leagues beneath the sea  
And it's waitin' over here for you and me  
Gonna take you for a ride  
But first, you gotta come inside  
Get ready for...the party's on tonight!_

_So pack up, cash in  
And get ready to begin  
Toss the dice, once or twice  
Baby, winnin' ain't no sin_

_So relax and just unwind  
Leave your worries all behind  
And get ready for...the party on tonight!_

(instrumental kicks in)

As the instrumental of the song started up, Lincoln began to strut his way towards the ladies. Then, he started dancing around them like he was their shadow; causing the girls to either giggle shyly or even swoon a little. At one point; he sent a wink towards Jordan, Paige and Cristina; which actually made their hearts race a little.

_"OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH" _Cristina's mind thought frantically,_ "I've never seen this side of Lincoln before...and I kinda like it."_ Coincidentally, Jordan was having similar thoughts on the situation. _"I never knew Lincoln could dance so well...or_ sing_ so well even"_ she whispered, _"this is...this is unreal."_

Even some of the older gals couldn't help but marvel at the young man's display. "Dude...come next year, this nutburger is gonna be in our school" Cici murmured, "if his attitude stays like this; kind, playful, slightly suave...girls are gonna go nuts." Phoebe couldn't help but share in her friend's thoughts, while taking some time to snap some pictures or record videos of his moves on her phone.

As the instrumental reached its end, Lincoln called up his crew and asked if they could join him in the rest of the song. But much like with dancing, they were just as nervous about _singing_ in public. "Don't worry about it, dudes" Lincoln whispered, "just remember to have fun while showing your skills."

With that said, the next verse of the song kicked in and Lincoln decided to help start things off.

(Lincoln)

_Oh, small town blues will melt away  
Here's where the big fish come to play  
Guaranteed you'll have best night of your life_

(Clyde)

_Grab your tux and shine your shoes  
Tell your friends to spread the news  
We're ready 'cause the party's on tonight  
_

(Rusty)

_So pack up and cash in  
And get ready to begin  
_

(Liam)

_Toss the dice, once or twice  
_

(Zach)

_Baby winning ain't no sin._

(Lincoln)

_So, relax and just unwind  
Leave your worries all behind  
So get ready...it's party time!  
_

(all four boys)

_It's party time!_

After the song ended, the boys pulled off a sort of final pose (like most boy bands often do;) which caused the crowd to immediately go into a frenzy of wild cheers and shouts. "How about that, folks" chuckled the DJ, "give these party animals a big round of applause, especially to Lil' Loud!" The crowd continued to cheer wildly while Jordan, Paige and Cristina stood poolside; doing their best to catch their breath.

Then, after Lincoln gave a quick bow and sent a wink their way; the girls suddenly went stiff as boards. Finally, after letting out a whimper of "oh...my heart;" they all fainted into the pool with a swoon. Lincoln took notice of this display, scratched his head and wondered what got into them.

"It's no big deal, Linky" Carol assured, "they just...felt a little hot under the collar during your performance and needed to cool off." Lincoln gave a nod in understanding and asked if he should help them out. "No, let them be for a while" Carol stated, "a little swim might help them relax."

(Line Break)

Soon after Lincoln's performance, everyone else lined up to take turns at the karaoke machine; as if inspired by it. Meanwhile, the boy in question sat down on a chair and refreshed his pipes with a little soda. That's when he heard someone calling out his name.

He looked to the side and found Dana resting on her belly on a long beach chair. "Linky, could you do me a favor" she said sweetly, "would you mind putting a little sun lotion on my back?" Upon hearing this request, Lincoln almost felt his heart stop. "A-a-are you sure you want...m-m-me to help you with that" he asked nervously, "your arms seem long enough."

The moment the phrase passed his lips, Lincoln began mentally facepalming himself in annoyance. This display however, seemed to please Dana; who suddenly started giggling. "I would do it myself...but I have such a hard time with hard to reach spots" she stated, "pwease help me, Linky?"

After gulping a nervous lump down his throat; Lincoln approached the teenager, squirted a dollop of sun lotion in his hand and began to rub it gingerly against her upper back. "Oooh! You have some magic fingers there, Lincoln" Dana giggled, "have you done this before?" It took him a moment to find his voice, Lincoln replied in saying he helped massage Lynn's feet; whenever she had rough days at practice.

"I gotta say, massaging her feet was no picnic" he grimaced, "it didn't feel anywhere near as awesome as this." In that moment, Lincoln quickly realized his slip of the tongue and began biting his lip. Meanwhile, the girls took notice of his shyness and decided to toy with him a little.

"Oh...so, you like giving massages now" Carol whispered, "then...I call for the next lotion rubdown." After that, Becky quickly sounded off her turn. Whitney joined in the fray, a second later; followed by Jordan, Phoebe, Stella, Paige and even Sandra Belle.

All this became a little much for Lincoln's male psyche to handle. Within seconds, he found himself suddenly doing something he never expected; he began twitching about and making robot noises. "ERROR, ERROR! SYSTEM OVERLOAD" he murmured, "ABORT...ABORT, SYSTEM OVER..." Before he could finish the final word, Lincoln suddenly fell into the pool.

Upon making contact, the water within radius of his body began to steam and boil slightly; similar to what happens when one dips of piece of heated metal into ice water. As he slowly rose back up through the surface, Lincoln let out a blissful sigh of relief and was left floating aimlessly around the pool. "There, that will do it" Jordan whispered naughtily, "now...let's see what's in the box, ladies."

Several of the Gal Pals nodded in agreement and began approaching the box. But before any of them could touch the lid, Clyde quickly swiped it. "Not so fast, girls" he exclaimed, "we don't open this until Lincoln says so...which might be a while, after what you did."

The girls all collectively let out a bitter groan of displeasure, realizing they had forgotten that particular element in the plan. "Is that why you were acting so flirty with him...to look in the box" Clyde asked suspiciously, "that doesn't seem right." Upon hearing this, Dana quickly held up her hands and waved them defensively.

"It was all just a little fun" she assured Clyde, "Lincoln once told us, back at the spa that he gets nervous around cute girls...so, we all wanted to test out that theory." While still not right from an ethical standpoint, Clyde agreed that their display held no malice and decided to forgive them. Still, he forbade them all from looking into the box.

Finally, after almost twenty minutes; Lincoln recovered from his passing out moment and climbed out of the pool. "Hey, guys...what did I miss" he asked with a soft yawn, "and more importantly, how did I end up in the pool?" That was when Chandler arrived and filled him in on everything.

"I didn't know what surprised me more, dude; their antics or your performance" he stated, "either way, you guys rocked!" Lincoln was taken aback by the boy's words but still thanked him, nonetheless. "Now that you're awake again, Linc...CAN WE _PLEASE_ SEE WHAT'S IN YOUR BOX" Stella begged, "we've been waiting all afternoon to see what you brought!"

Upon taking in the pleading expressions on everyone's faces, Lincoln realized he kept them waiting long enough. "Okay, guys; you win" he said with a hearty chuckle, "but be prepared to be blown out of your seats, when I show you what's inside." With that said, Lincoln placed the box on the ground and opened up the flaps to reveal...three dozen Ace Savvy comics.

The moment the girls saw this, they began to feel slightly miffed at Lincoln; believing he got them all worked up for nothing. "Hold up, you guys" Becky said suddenly, "there's something...different about these books." Confused, Carol asked her friend for a proper explanation.

"Look closer at the covers, you guys" she insisted, "doesn't anything seem...familiar to you?" With a collective heave of reluctant sighs, several of the Gal Pals looked at the copy Becky was holding very closely. Then, when Dana saw the characters on the cover; she gasped so deeply that she almost choked.

"Guys, those heroes on the cover...it's us" she exclaimed, "go and see for yourselves." Curious, Carol took hold of Becky's issue and stared at it intently. Then, she noticed how the lead heroine's hair looked identical to her own.

"Son of a Gun...Becky's right" she gasped, "the heroes in this book look exactly like us!" While they gazed at the books in confusion, this gave Lincoln the opportunity to shout "SURPRISE!" Feeling both mildly bothered and confused, everyone looked at him and asked for an explanation.

"Okay...here's the deal" Lincoln began, "remember way back when at the park, where some of you guys thought I was studying?" While still somewhat confused, everyone nodded silently in reply; wondering where Lincoln was going with his story. "Well, the truth is...I wasn't really studying" he confessed, "I was actually working on a new starter book for a new Ace Savvy series I plan to share with Bill Buck!"

Upon hearing this, several of the adults gasped with surprise. "Did you say you made an Ace Savvy story, Lincoln" inquired Jordan's father, "I _love_ that series...I've been a fan since '64!" Soon after, several other adults sounded off their following of the series; loudly and proudly.

"Mind if we have a look at your story, hon" questioned Stella's mother, "I'm anxious to see what ideas you've whipped up." With a hearty chuckle, Lincoln happily shared copies with everyone. Upon inspection, everybody noticed how the characters on the cover looked almost like their children.

"Care to explain this, Linc" questioned Jordan, "I don't think I gave you permission to use my likeness." Upon hearing the playful tone in his friend's voice, Lincoln happily complied with her request. "You guys already know that the Full House Gang is based off my sisters, right" he asked, "well...these ones on the cover, they are the same team...but from an alternate reality."

Upon hearing this explanation, everything slowly became much clearer. Lincoln then went on to explain how each member of the Gal Pals was either a doppelganger for the Full House Gang or alternate versions of Ace's rivals. "For starters, Carol...your character is High Card" he stated, "she's the leader of the gang, is an expert fighter, drives the team's transport vehicle and you even have an animal partner."

As Carol went to look at her character, she soon spotted her pet corgi; who was dressed in a mask bearing two diamond symbols and a red pet unitard. "His name is Wild Card and he's the team's tracker" Lincoln explained, "not to mention he's the best guard dog anyone could ever have." While she wasn't much for comics, Carol couldn't deny how stylish hers and her pet's characters looked.

Lincoln then went on the describe each of the different roles the gang all had. "I've got character names for each of you guys" he stated, "I think you'll like 'em." It was then that Lincoln remembered something else that was in the box. After fishing about inside of it for a moment, he found what he wanted; a character sheet.

After handing it to everyone, all of Lincoln's friends began to study each of their characters' roles in the story.

Carol/The High Card

Dana/Eleven of Hearts

Becky/The Dealer

Paige/The Night Club

Jordan/The Shuffler

Cristina/Queen of Diamonds

Kat/Strong Suit

Haiku/Eight of Spades

Cici/The Card Counter

Stella/The Royal Flush

Whitney/The Queen of Hearts

Renee/The Deuce

Ronnie Anne/Madame Roulette

Joey/The Red Knave

Benny/The Joker

Phoebe/The Flash Card

Chaz/The JCK-P0T Droid (better known as Jackpot)

Rocky/Gin - (Rummy's partner/Brother gifted with a belt that allows him to grow to giant height)

Rusty/Rummy (a hero gifted with a specially designed shrinking belt)

Liam/Boxcars (a hero with a medallion that grants him duplication powers)

Zach/The 8 Ball (with the aid of his elastic superhero suit, he is able to bounce about every corner of a room at rapid speeds)

Though a lot of them (mostly some of the girls) didn't quite understand what they were looking at. They couldn't deny the fact that their superhero personas were awesome to look at. "Chaz likes what he sees, lil' dude" Chaz said with approval, "but...I don't quite remember some of these characters."

When asked who or what Jackpot was, Lincoln was smiling a grin that shined brighter than a Christmas tree. "The character was a little something both Clyde and I came up with" he stated, "originally, he was once a bouncer at a local night club...until mobsters almost destroyed the place; which led him to getting caught in the crossfire." Lincoln went on to explain how even though doctors were able to save him; the poor fellow was a mix of machine and man, from that point on.

"Whoa...that's pretty gritty, dude" Joey murmured, "but what's the deal with his name...Jackpot?" In response, Lincoln went on to say that the element in question was Lincoln's favorite part. "Ironically, some of the parts that were used to help rebuild Chaz's character were a combination of typical robot parts and those of an old slot machine" he stated, "now, whenever he ingests something and gets a jackpot, his systems duplicate the item a hundred-fold!"

After saying this, Lincoln turned to a splash page featuring Jackpot in a fight scene. During the fight, he pops a marble into his mouth and pulls his arm down. This later leads to him getting a "Jackpot" and then, his belt buckle suddenly pops open.

Then, hundreds of marbles suddenly spill out of his belly; causing his enemies to slip up. "WHOA! That is awesome" Joey cried with delight, "what about me...what's _my_ character?" With great flourish, Lincoln went on to describe how the Red Knave is the other universe's version of One-Eyed Jack.

"Think of him as something like...the Rogue character in a Dungeons & Dragons campaign" Lincoln explained, "he's like the double agent of the team; one moment, he's acting like he's with the enemy...the next, he's stealing their goods from right under their noses." As an added bonus, Clyde mentioned how he gave the Red Knave his poker chip firing utility belt as a weapon. Joey couldn't help but go into nerdgasm mode at the character description.

When she got a look, Phoebe noticed how _her_ character had a camera like her own. "So...what's the 411 on _my_ character" she asked, "not...not that I would want to _read_ such nerdy stuff...but still." At the same time, Becky also asked for the Flash Card's story. "As I recall, he's one of Ace's worst enemies" she stated, "why would Flash Card want to help the Full House Gang?"

In response; Lincoln explained how in the main universe, Flash Card and Ace were enemies. "But in the other world, he has a child and she _hated_ how her father dedicated his talents to a life of crime" he said matter-of-factly, "those skills being strong investigative reporter know-how and being a _highly_ skilled master of disguise." He then points to a panel featuring Phoebe's character.

In it, she takes a snapshot of a person and pressed it to her face. Then, within an instant; she takes on the full likeness of the individual. The sight of this caused almost everyone's jaws to drop. Sensing everyone's surprise, Lincoln gave a little chuckle and went into detail on Flash Card's powers.

"As her name implies, her specially designed camera can create snapshots (or flash cards) of different people" he explained, "then, she presses the image upon her face and fully assumes their likeness; she's even able to duplicate their voices, when she does this." Despite how outlandish the powers sounded, Phoebe couldn't help but admire her character's look and style. As some of them read more into the story, Lincoln gave small descriptions for some of the characters.

For Jordan, he gave her the title of The Shuffler; who, along with Becky's character of "The Dealer," acted as the alternate Full House Gang's strategists. "Your character, Becky gives everyone the battle stats" Lincoln stated, "while Jordan instructs them on how to strike the enemy." The two ladies in question, at first were a little put off with having their characters be on the sidelines.

But then, Lincoln added that they also managed the security for their base of operations; the Fortress of Solitaire. "If the enemy ever sneaks in...you, Jordan can use the security system to shuffle them around from room to room" Clyde giggled giddily, "essentially...she turns their base of cards into a sort of Rubix Cube!" This information dump seemed to please Jordan immensely, as her mind began thinking of all the ways her character could mess with the enemy.

After that, Paige came upon a page featuring the Alternate Joker. Said character was dressed in a black and red Zoot Suit and was wearing a red, full-faced harlequin mask with three jingle bells dangling over the rim of it. In the page, he was giving (or attempting at) a motivational speech to some of the Full House Gang's members. _"Do not despair, genties and ladlemen; we've still got a chance to win this battle" _the panel read,_ "it'll be dangerous...like, _REALLY DANGEROUS_ and we may suffer horrific, crippling injuries that will disfigure us for the rest of our da-hey-hey-hey-heys! (deep inhale) But that won't be a problem, will it?"_

Upon seeing the Gang's shocked expressions on the next page, Paige burst out laughing. "Oh-ho-ho! Oh, my gosh; this is a riot" she gasped between laughs, "where the heck did you get the ideas for this one?" After taking a moment to laugh himself, Lincoln explained how his other version of the Joker was loosely inspired by The Mask.

"He's a bit of a nutjob, the other Joker" he admitted, "but his antics always get the job done." He then explained how at one point in the issue, he hits a henchman in the face with a pie; which explodes mere seconds later and sends him flying. After that, Lincoln offered up copies from his box to anyone interested.

"Just a second there, young man" Jordan's father said suddenly, "you're not charging anything for these, are you?" Lincoln shook his head and assured everyone that they were all free. "I'm only making sure to save _one_ of these copies" he said suddenly, "I want to send that particular one to Mr. Buck, when I get the chance."

Once that was made clear, everyone wished Lincoln the best of luck in sharing his work and collected their own copy of the story. "I like this idea of yours, dude" Rusty complimented, "but I must know one thing..._why did you make ME the shrinker and my brother the one with super-growth?!"_ Without hesitation, Lincoln said that he wanted Rocky's powers to have a sense of mildly comedic irony with them.

"Think about it, the big bro being the shrinker and the younger bro being the one with able to grow super huge...you've gotta see the irony in that" he said emphatically, "at least, I hope you do." After a moment or two of thinking, Rocky suddenly found himself chuckling a bit. "You're right, Lincoln; that _is_ kinda funny" he murmured, "I still feel jipped in getting shrinking powers, though."

With a soft smile upon his face, Lincoln assured his BFF that such abilities would come in pretty handy during certain situations. Upon hearing a few of the story's details, several people urged Lincoln to read a little from his comic. "Oh...I dunno" he muttered bashfully, "I mean, part of me _wants_ to do it...but this is Jordan's party and I don't want to upstage her."

As a response, Jordan smiled at Lincoln and took a seat upon one of the beach chairs. "We best get some snacks, everyone" she suggested, "because I don't think we want to miss this." With that said, several people went to the buffet table to collect some vittles.

While some of the boys went back to the Sandwich Station to make new sandwiches. Meanwhile, Lincoln took a seat in a chair wordlessly; amazed that people wanted to hear _his _story." "Man, today has been full of all kinds of surprises" he said with a chuckle at the viewer, "and thanks to the restraining order, nobody will bug us for the whole day and night...I hope." With that said; Lincoln took out a copy of his comic, crossed his legs and began to read his story to the crowd before him.

(AN: Aaaand that's where we'll end things off for now. Looks like things have gone of rather well at the party for Lincoln. But one can only wonder what tomorrow will bring. Tune in next time, as we join Linc and the Gal Pals for their sleepover.)

(Second AN: The comic Lincoln showed off to everyone at the party may or may not be a sort of plug for a future story I have in mind and possibly plan on making. I'm thinking about calling it Ace Savvy and the Full House Gang: Double Draw...what do you think?)

(Third AN: Sandra Belle/Thicc QT is a background character that appeared in the episode Raw Deal. Since that appearance, she had become a rather popular character; despite the fact she had no speaking lines.)

(Fourth AN: The scene where Lincoln gets shy, after Dana and some of the other girls ask him to rub lotion on them is loosely based on a request given to me by ButtonMan. It was either that or several people losing their suits in the pool, I decided to go with the former.)

(Fifth AN: The song, "It's Party Time" is from the movie Hotel Transylvania 3 and was performed by Joe Jonas. All ownership of the song belongs to the artist in question, Sony Animation and Columbia Pictures.)

(Final AN: Some of the other members of the Full House Gang in the comic's alternate universe were not part of the Earth 1 line up. Such specific examples like The Shuffler for Jordon, Becky's character of The Dealer or Chaz's Jackpot were all original ideas I thought up. Gotta say, it was a little hard finding appropriate hero codenames and positions that were oriented towards Ace Savvy's card/game theme)


	20. Chapter Nineteen: Night Terrors

Night Terrors

"'Sounds of sirens blaring echoed all across the city; in the skies, sentries soared overhead and appeared to be in hot pursuit of their prey'" exclaimed Lincoln while moving his hands emphatically, "'down below; a lone, hooded figure is seen in the streets...he weaves and darts down any open path he can find; hoping to evade his pursuers."

All around Lincoln, the party guests (young and old) all sat in their seats; shivering slightly with anticipation and nibbling at their lips. Needless to say, Lincoln was surprised by all this; he never expected everyone to be hanging on his every word. Upon sensing his hesitation, Becky began to tug at her hair anxiously.

"Don't stop now, dude" she cried, "what's happening next..._please_, continue!" Allowing himself to chuckle softly under his breath with pride, Lincoln flipped the page and continued with the comic. "'As the sentries drew in closer, the hooded figure quickly retaliated'" he cried suddenly; then, he grabbed some pool toys and demonstrated how the figure was throwing hidden weapons from his sleeves.

"Then, the figure's weapons manage to nail three of the sentries' hovercrafts" Lincoln exclaims while acting out the scene, "after they've all crashed; he smiles beneath his hood and says (ahem) 'shouldn't you guys know by now, I've always got tricks up my sleeves.'" There was a soft, collective groan from some of the people around him. Meanwhile, some of the adults actually thought it was a clever superhero one-liner.

"What happened next" begged Paige, "did the guy get away...did those hovercraft dudes catch him?!" Lincoln smiled at the young lady and flipped on to the second to last page of the book. In it, there was a page showing the figure reaching a dead end in an alleyway.

There were many startled whispers among the guests, who all wondered if the stranger was about to meet his end. But then; within one of the panels, they saw him reaching into his vest and pulling something out. "Is that...an amulet" muttered Carol in confusion, "it's stylish, I'll give you that...but what does he plan to do with it?"

Lincoln flashed a devilish grin at the teenager, apparently pleased by how invested she was becoming. Then, as he turned to the last page; everyone gasped in both shock and amazement. For one of the pictures showed the figure pressing the amulet onto the brick wall.

Then, upon close inspection; everyone noticed small "mumble, mumble" word bubbles floating over the figure's head. "What in the black void is he doing" murmured Haiku, "if he doesn't move quickly, he's done for!" As Lincoln directed everyone to one of the final panels of the page; they saw a massive, glowing portal appear on the wall.

Then, at the last second; the figure leaps inside of it and three sentries follow after him, just moments before it closed completely. The last thing everyone saw on the page was a small "To Be Continued" word balloon at the bottom of the page. After that, Lincoln closed the comic up and smiled at the crowd; who were all sporting slack-jawed expressions of shock.

"What the...that's it" mumbled Paige in confusion, "b-b-but...but what happens next, you can't just _end_ the story like _that;_ I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!" After that, several other people began echoing Paige's confusion.

Phoebe: "What about those sentry dweebs; did they catch up with the hooded dude?"

Jordan: "Where are Ace and the others in the _second_ universe?"

Haiku: "What was that amulet he used on the wall and how did he create that portal?"

Joey: "Who sent those guys after the hooded figure?"

Carol: "More importantly...what happened to _OUR_ characters, after that figure left?!

Though he appreciated everyone's enthusiasm for his book, their questions were beginning to overwhelm Lincoln a little. Finally, Jordan's parents quickly stepped in and politely insisted everyone to give him some space. "Give the author some breathing room, everybody" Jordan's mother ordered, "though the rest of us equally share your interest in his book, too many questions at once might be a little much for him."

The children all murmured dejectedly in unison and moved back from Lincoln a few steps. "Don't you worry, guys...the story doesn't end here" the boy said with a sly grin, "in fact, I've already got the ideas for the next issue in my head." While this news gave them some bit of hope, Lincoln confessed that there was a small catch to everything.

"I _do_ plan on working on the next part of Double Draw" he began, "but...I'd like to wait until Summer Vacation starts...and all this nonsense with my family has been settled." Everyone around Lincoln shared murmurs or nods of understanding, while also wishing him well on his future work. "I must say, young man; you've got quite an imagination on you" praised Mrs. Pingrey, "does your family know of your work, by chance?"

In an instant, Lincoln's smile shifted slightly into a frown. He then explained that there were only two instances where his family praised him on his work for the Ace Savvy comics, the issue introducing the Full House Gang and the Checkmate series. "Any other time I try to focus on my comics or my creative skills, my sisters proclaim that it's all nonsense" he mumbled, "but Lisa has said some far worse stuff."

Confused, Carol asked what sort of things his sister said about his work. "Well, that might be...a little hard to explain" Lincoln said with a slight chuckle, "mainly because she uses loads of big words." This statement caused everyone to giggle a little, much to Lincoln's surprise.

"To put it frankly, she claims that 'only those with an extremely below-average intellect enjoy nonsensical tales about people practicing vigilantism'" he said while slightly mimicking Lisa's lisp, "she was especially blunt with the 'below average intellect' part." There was a cacophony of outraged murmurs from the crowd around him. "That kind of talk is something I'd expect from those stupid political shows on TV" Whitney's father exclaimed, "but the idea of someone _that_ young making such insults...it's outrageous!"

This coupled with Lincoln's earlier statement about his sisters' unsupportive nature towards his skills seemed to strengthen the town's ire towards his family...and he couldn't help but feel concerned about it. "Like I said, everyone; they did praise my talents on _two_ occasions" he murmured desperately, "I mean...that must count for something, right?" This statement seemed to calm the crowd a little.

But upon inspection, Lincoln could see looks of disdain lingering on everyone's faces. "Surely, they must've celebrated other accomplishments you've made; didn't they" questioned Mr. Pingrey, "what other skills do you have?" Before Lincoln could say a word, Clyde quickly stepped in; mentioning each of Lincoln's known skills.

These skills ranged from playing Chess, cooking, making plans, coaching his sister Lola in her pageants, having an extensive knowledge in ghost hunting, painting and a few other skills. "Yeah, I remember Linc and Clyde made snickerdoodles for me and a few of my friends at school" Cici exclaimed, "they were so good, the bottoms weren't even soggy." Everybody was amazed by the lad's wide array of skills.

"Thanks for the compliments everybody, really" Lincoln chuckled shyly while blushing, "but what I've got is nothing compared to what my sisters can do." The moment he said this, Lincoln's demeanor became utterly gloomy. "Truth is, nothing I can do is as practical as any of _their_ skills" he mumbled, "I'm not an athlete...or a fashion guru, a scientist, a comedian, a musician a..."

Before he could continue on, Lincoln was suddenly plucked off the floor and held tightly by Carol. "Don't you _dare_ speak another ill word about yourself, lil' man" she said firmly, "if you do, I'll throw you into the pool...I mean it!" Though her eyes looked serious on the matter, Lincoln could sense the mildly playful tone in her voice.

Regardless, he gave a "Scout's Honor" salute; promising not to speak negatively about himself again. Pleased with this decision, Carol kissed his cheek tenderly and set him back down on the ground. "Truth be told, dude; some of us _wish_ we could be as skilled as you" Joey interjected, "I mean, I rule at boarding and making my friends laugh...but I can barely get a grade higher than a B minus on my schoolwork.

Carol joined the conversation; proclaiming how despite being on equal levels with Lori in golfing, she struggled in several other fields. "You guys all remember the Gardening Selfie, back when Lori and I had that ridiculous competition" she asked, earning a few nods from the crowd; "well...let's just say that it was a very harrowing experience." When several people asked what happened; Carol's reply was by the end of it all, she had to shower for almost an hour and a half.

"Uh...excuse me if I seem disrespectful, Miss" Liam murmured softly, "but I get dirty all the time from workin' in the garden and it don't bother me none." Carol smiled at him and explained how it wasn't simply the gardening itself that brought her to take a long shower. "Fact is, I didn't know the first thing about making or planting a garden" she admitted, "half the time; I either dug up too much of the front yard, buried the seeds too deep and poured so much water or I created all kinds of mud puddles on my property."

When she mentioned all the mud that got under her nails and into her hair, her crew shuddered with great horror. "The point is you may not be good at _everything_ your family can do" Carol stated, "but you are perfect at just being you and that's what matters." Lincoln stood silent for a few seconds, allowing Carol's words to properly sink in.

After that, his smile returned and he thanked everyone for their kindness. "Gosh...it really means a lot to hear you all say that" he said, "thanks for all your friendships, all the fun stuff we did during break, the party invitation and...just about everything else." Feeling genuinely touched by Lincoln's words; everyone took a moment to shake his hand, hug him or nuzzle him in gratitude.

"I know things might be...for lack of better words, taxing right now" Jordan's mother stated, "but rest assured, sweetie; we will all do what we can to help you through this." Soon after she said this, several of the other adults voiced their support. Even some of the other guests shared their sympathies, despite being moderately in the dark on Lincoln's situation.

"I admit that I've only heard tidbits of your story on the news" Sandra confessed, "but after meeting you, learning your name and getting the full story from the other adults here today...I can say that no one should _ever_ endure what you went through." After that, she gave Lincoln a quick hug and said she'd make sure to help out at the courthouse however she could.

Lincoln thanked Sandra for her support and apologized for not helping apply lotion earlier. "Oh, don't worry about it" she said nonchalantly, "there's still summer break and I have a feeling we might meet again." This statement almost caused Lincoln to burn up bashfully.

Thinking quickly, Clyde picked up a water bottle and poured half of its contents atop his pal's head. In an instant, the cold liquid began to cool down Lincoln; while also creating a cloud of steam over him. When it cleared away, seconds later; Lincoln let out a long sigh of relief.

"Thanks, Clyde...I needed that" he said breathlessly, "now, uh...what was I talking about earlier?" After everyone had a hearty laugh at Lincoln's statement, the Gal Pals brought up the comic he was discussing. "Oh, yeah; I'm happy you guys like the starter issue" he said gratefully, "feel free to pick out a copy or two, if you like."

With gusto, several people began to pick out a copy of Double Draw; even Carol (much to Lincoln's surprise.) "I know...it's unlike me to read stuff like comic books" she said with a sigh, "but dang it, Linky; you got me hooked on this story!" She then playfully urged Lincoln to make up the next issue as soon as he could.

With a hearty laugh in his throat, Lincoln warmly assured his lady friend that he wouldn't keep her waiting for very long. Carol cheered with delight at this and thanked Lincoln for his kind gesture. After that, the pool antics resumed and Lincoln decided to have a go at the inflatable pool slide.

Needless to say, it was all the most fun he had ever had in his life and having such great friends with him made it all the better.

(Sometime Later)

Two hours later, the afternoon sun began to set; which meant that the pool party was about to reach its end. This also meant that the guests would all be returning home soon...at least, _most_ of the guests would be leaving. After helping out with the after party cleanup, Lincoln and the Gal Pals Crew bade farewell to their departing friends.

"A pity you can't stick around for the sleepover, guys" he sighed dejectedly while shaking his guy friends' hands, "it was so much fun hanging with you today." Rocky chuckled at Lincoln and warned him not to get "mushy" on him, before giving him a fist bump. "It's no big deal dude" he assured, "we'll have loads of chances to hang more, once school's out."

Lincoln smiled at him, thanked Rocky for his encouraging words and gave him a high five. After that, Liam approached Lincoln and offered up the last of the hush puppies to him from the buffet table. "They's still nice and warm too" he stated, "figured y'all could share the rest durin' your sleepover."

Lincoln felt touched by his friend's gesture and gave him a friendly "bro hug," much to Liam's surprise. Once they broke apart, Lincoln turned towards Zach; who's hair had been styled like that of a Klingon. "Thanks for letting me and the gang come to this party with you, Linc" the boy said gratefully, "sorry if we cramped your style at all." Lincoln playfully yet respectably scoffed at his friend and assured him he did no such thing.

"Truth be told, everyone here really liked having you guys here" he stated, "I think Jordan even told me one of her friends is actually really into sci-fi stuff." With a silent shushing gesture, he pointed towards a girl over by the entrance gate. Before she stepped out of view, Zach could've sworn he saw her wearing a Space Shire 7 T-Shirt.

"Are you sure she said that, Lincoln" he murmured, "I mean...remember what happened last time you gave me..." Before the young nerd could finish, Lincoln performed a zipping gesture over his lips; insisting that they never speak of _that_ incident again. "It's not really _my_ idea, it's just what Jordan told me" he stated, "but you never know until you talk to her, right?"

With that said, Zach had a better idea of how to get close with the "mystery girl" and went off to try and find her; before he would return home. With three of his friends now departing, Lincoln now only had Clyde to say farewell to. But as he approached the boy in question, Lincoln saw that he was struggling to hold back tears in his eyes.

"Um...Clyde, are you okay" he asked with uncertainty in his voice, "are you having an allergy episode...should I get any of the medications your dads..." Before he could finish, Lincoln was almost knocked off his feet; as Clyde suddenly rammed into his arms. Not long after, the boy's tears began to pour out like water from a broken pipe.

"I'M GONNA MISS YOU SO MUCH, BUDDY" he sobbed, "AS MUCH AS IT PAINS ME TO LEAVE...(sniffle and inhale) I know you need this time away from home." After Clyde took some time to calm down, he and Lincoln exchanged a BBF handshake and went their separate ways. "I promise I'll make up for lost time, Clyde; when this is all over" he promised, "we _do_ have summer break to look forward to, after all."

Clyde shared a small chuckle at the notion and shouted back with "you best keep that promise, dude." Then, just as he reached the gate; Clyde heard a pair of voices calling to him in hushed tones. He turned to the side to find Carol and Jordan standing by the flowerbed.

Confused yet curious, he approached the ladies and asked if something was wrong. "Not at all, Clyde; we just wanted to talk with you in private" whispered Jordan, "today's party was a huge success and Lincoln looked like he couldn't be happier." Clyde couldn't help but agree with her, he still remembered how terrified his bestie was before Break started.

"So...what do you need from me" he asked, "is there something going on I should know about?" It was here that Jordan revealed that Lincoln had some difficulty sleeping, while staying overnight with some of their houses. "It started at _my_ house; then, he warned Stella about the possibility of having another one" she explained, "thankfully, her grandmother gave Lincoln some tea to help him sleep better."

Despite the worry welling up inside of him, Clyde did his best to put on a brave face; as he nodded in understanding. "This _is_ serious" he muttered, "if this keeps up, he might need a little professional help." Though the two ladies sided with Clyde on the idea, they questioned how they would be able to find such a specialist; let alone afford one.

"I think I have just the woman in mind" he stated, "and I'd be happy to give you her business card, if you'd like?" Carol squealed softly with joy and thanked Clyde with a soft yet appreciative hug. Meanwhile, Lincoln was standing just a few feet behind the trio; wondering what they were all talking about.

_"I'm sure it's no big deal" _he thought, _"Clyde might just be urging them to make sure I don't hurt myself or anything during the sleepover." _Lincoln couldn't help but chuckle at the thought, thinking that his best pal worried about him more than a mother would. Then, Clyde handed the girls something from his pocket and proceeded to head off towards his dads' car.

After sharing one last goodbye wave to his best friend, Lincoln headed back over poolside to help with the last bits of cleanup. "We appreciate the help, dear" said Jordan's mother, "but it doesn't feel right; you being our guest, after all." Lincoln smiled at her and insisted that he didn't mind helping out.

"After all the stuff you guys, your daughter and everyone else has done for me; it's time _I _helped _you_ out" he said firmly, "it's the least I can do to repay you." Everyone was moved by Lincoln's generous offer and happily welcomed his assistance. In time; the trash had all been cleared away and Lincoln, along with two of the girls' fathers, dumped the last of the garbage bags into some large cans.

Though not incredibly taxing, both the cleanup process and all the partying Lincoln did left him slightly worn out. "Now that that's all done, I can relax" he said with a deep sigh, "best go slip on my PJs for tonight." With that in mind, he dusted himself and headed inside of the house.

As he went into the living room to collect his travel bag, Lincoln was suddenly pelted in the face with a flying pillow. After clearing out the feathers from his mouth, Lincoln's ears rang with the sounds of female laughter. He looked ahead to find all ten of his Gal Pals; rolling around either the furniture or the floor with laughter.

"Boy, oh boy" Stella guffawed, "did I get you good or what?!" Lincoln shot a mild glare at the girls, proclaiming he wasn't prepared for the attack. "Okay then, Linky; we'll play fair" Carol stated, "the _real _pillow fight starts...NOW!"

In an instant, several of the gals ganged up on Lincoln; each with pillows in hand. But Lincoln was prepared for such an ambush, having been the victim of his sisters' pillow fights many times before. With great care and equally great fervor, Lincoln playfully swatted his pillow at several of the girls.

Others, however (like Cristina, Dana and Whitney) chose to sit out on it all; offering to act as "referees" for the playful brawl. There was much giggling, shouting and many feathers flying. But after a solid fifteen minutes, everyone decided to call it quits.

Soon after, Jordan's mother entered the room and chuckled at the tired group. "I guess you all worked up an appetite with that duel of yours, kids" Jordan's mother said with a knowing smile, "who's up for some pizza bites?" There was a loud outcry of "YEAH" from the gals and Lincoln, which signaled Jordan's mother to place the platter carefully upon the coffee table.

"They're still hot; so, let them cool off a bit" she said while heading back into the kitchen, "have fun with your sleepover...just don't get crazy or anything." Jordan grumbled playfully at her mother and promised they would all behave. "Let me just head up and change quick, girls" Lincoln said suddenly, "I want to get comfortable, before our fun begins."

Everyone nodded in understanding and Jordan gave him a quick reminder of where the bathroom was. After giving a quick thank you, Lincoln grabbed his bag and headed up the stairs; eager to change into some comfy clothes.

(Line Break)

Minutes later, after Lincoln's return; the sleepover went underway. While watching a rather cheesy action drama on the TV, the gals and Lincoln were indulging in a little game of "Would You Rather" together. "Okay, let's try this one" Carol exclaimed, "would you rather...live on a houseboat made of recycled trash or...eat a sub in a portable toilet?"

There was a soft murmur of disgust from the group, before several of the girls began making their choices. Gals like Cristina, Becky, Dana and Whitney happily chose the houseboat option; while others went with the portable toilet. "AWW, SICK" cried Dana, "why on _earth_ would you guys pick the toilet!?"

As a response; Cici listed how a houseboat of garbage would smell bad, the water would make it smell worse and it was unknown if the trash was even properly cleaned. "What about you, Linc" inquired Jordan, "houseboat recycled trash...or sandwich inside of a portable toilet?" It didn't take long for Lincoln to go with the houseboat option.

"Believe me when I say that as dirty as a garbage houseboat sounds...it's nowhere near as bad as a dirty bathroom" he said with a grimace, "portable or otherwise." After everyone took a quick moment to clear the image of a dirty port-a-john out of their heads, it was Cristina's turn to ask a question. "Okay, this one's a bit cleaner" she stated, "would you rather...smell and taste colors or smell and taste sound?"

Almost immediately, everyone sided with the smell and taste colors option. "I mean...when you think about it, noises like a traffic jam would feel horrible" Jordan explained, "but then, when you smell and taste colors, the color red could taste like fresh strawberries." This idea seemed to please a lot of them.

But then, Lincoln revealed one fundamental flaw in it, namely that certain colors might not taste appealing. "Imagine smelling the color of grey" he suggested, "for all we know, it could smell/taste like lead...or worse." After taking a moment to get the idea of tasting lead out of their minds, everyone indulged in some pizza bites.

As the group sampled some of them from the platter, they continued with their questions. In time, it was Lincoln's turn to ask one. "Okay, how's _this_ for a choice" he challenged, "would you rather...lose your ability to read or lose your ability to speak?"

The moment he asked this, Carol and her pals all whined softly and lightly pelted Lincoln with their pillows. "I don't like that idea" Dana groaned, "either way, I'm screwed...if I couldn't speak or read!" To emphasize her point; she mentioned how using her phone would be impossible, whichever choice she made.

"Think of another one, please" Becky begged playfully, "one that _doesn't_ involve near impossible options!" After having a soft chuckle, Lincoln began to scratch his head in thought. "Okay, try _this one_ on for size" he said playfully, "would you rather...dance anytime and _every_ time you heard music or have a C.S.D.?"

The Gals collectively gawked at him confusedly for a moment; then, Cici asked what "C.S.D." meant. "It's short for Compulsive Singing Disorder" Lincoln explained, "long story short, it means you break out into song at...anytime!" The Gals gasped/laughed loudly, as their male compatriot suddenly sang out the last word of his statement like an R&B singer. "That's basically how it works" Lincoln stated, "so...what's your choice?"

The girls all collectively pondered on the options until at last, everyone reached a rather divisive conclusion. One half chose the dancing option, proclaiming it feel like being in a flash mob; while the rest went with the singing. "Sure, singing at any random time would be...a little annoying" Cici giggled, "but if you danced whenever music came on, you'd get tired pretty quickly.

Lincoln nodded slightly in agreement with his friend's decision...but quickly pointed out one minor flaw. "If you ended up singing at any given time, imagine what it will do to your throat" he explained, "I would recommend bringing bag loads of lozenges, if that happened." When they asked which one _he _would pick, Lincoln went with dancing.

"I mean, it's great exercise; right" he inquired, "just pray that there's no polka playing." Everyone shared a quick laugh at the idea and Phoebe prepared to present the next question. Then, much to everyone's surprise; the program on TV was interrupted by a newsflash.

"UGH! I hate it when the news disrupts TV time" grumbled Whitney, "it's worse than those unskippable ads that play during internet videos." Within moments, a reporter appeared on the screen and took a moment to straighten out his papers. "Good evening, we interrupt this program to bring you an important newsflash" he stated, "over the course of Spring Break; one story has taken nearly all of Michigan by storm; the story of young Royal Woods resident, Lincoln Loud."

Upon hearing his name be mentioned, the boy in question couldn't help but gulp nervously. "The only son of Lynn Loud Sr. and his wife Rita, young Lincoln lives as the middle child in a family containing ten sisters; both younger and older" the anchorman explained, "for sometime, the family's chaotic nature has been naught but a moderate annoyance to the town...until now."

As the report went on, Lincoln tried to hide himself within his sleeping bag; feeling mildly ashamed by how high things have escalated. Alas, these feelings would only seem to worsen; when Lincoln saw the rest of the report. "We now take you live to our on-the-scene reporter, Katherine Mulligan, who is at the Royal Woods Minimum Security Prison" the anchorman stated, "Katherine, what's up down there?"

After a quick camera wipe, the TV shows the reporter in question standing outside of a small stone building. Before the reporter even started speaking, something in Lincoln's bones told him something was amiss. "This is Katherine Mulligan here, live outside the prison; where it's been reported that half of the Loud Family has been set free" she stated, "this was made possible after the parents, Lynn Sr. and Rita, and most of their daughters have shown signs of good behavior."

This reveal caused all the Gal Pals to suddenly break out in disgruntled murmurs, believing that the prison was showing rather slipshod work in keeping certain "criminals" in check. "N-Now, could you run that by me again, Kat" inquired the news anchorman, "did you say the Loud Family showed signs of 'good behavior?'" After taking a moment to let out a dry and sarcastic laugh, Miss Mulligan assured the station that she spoke the truth.

"According to both Officer Schoffner and the Chief of Police, the parents and eight of their daughters showed signs of genuine remorse for their actions" she said with a hint of disbelief in her voice, "personally speaking, I found it all a little difficult to swallow myself." After this, there was a quiet discussion amongst the Gal Pals; each of them questioning if it was wise of the prison to let the family go. They took special care not to voice their opinions too loudly, lest they risk upsetting their young male companion.

"Then, I later heard the night before their release, eight of the girls had cried themselves to sleep" she stated, "I didn't quite believe it, at first...until I saw the pictures the security cameras took." In an instant, a slideshow of security images appeared on screen; each one showing a picture of eight of the Loud Sisters. As Lincoln looked at the photos, his heart sank slightly; for each one of them showed his sisters with bloodshot eyes, tired expressions and tear-stained cheeks.

Lincoln was especially surprised by the photo of Lucy. Despite the fact that her bangs covered her eyes, he could clearly see signs of true regret and sorrow on the young Goth's face. _"Dang it...maybe Lola's crying at the park the other day truly _was_ genuine after all"_ he thought to himself, _"man...I know they did me wrong but I never wanted any of _this_ to happen to them."_

Then, at that moment; Lincoln began to question why only his parents and _eight_ of his ten sisters were released. It was then that realization struck Lincoln like a blow to the head. During the slideshow, there were only two girls missing from the roster; Lori and Lynn.

This lead Lincoln to wonder what they did to keep them both locked away, while the others were let out. Coincidentally, the news crew was thinking about the same thing and asked why the remaining two were still on lockdown. "Seems that during the whole time they were held up, neither Lori Loud (the eldest of the siblings) nor Lynn Jr. showed signs of cooperation" Ms. Mulligan stated, "in fact, there were multiple occasions where they continuously placed blame for their situation squarely on their brother's shoulders."

There were loud cries of outrage from not only Lincoln but the girls as well. "They're still blaming Lincoln for all of this" grumbled Cristina, "I can't believe how stubborn they're being!" The others fully agreed with their young friend, proclaiming that Lori and Lynn were probably attempting to earn "sympathy points" from the town. Then, Carol quickly called for silence; as the news was about to show some footage recorded in the cellblock area from days ago.

As the footage played, Lori and Lynn's words appeared at the bottom of the screen in subtitle form; Lori was in light blue and Lynn's was in red.

Lori: "I don't know why you guys put us all in here! This whole thing was literally Lincoln's fault!"

Lynn: "Yeah! If that little runt just stayed at home, kept his mouth shut and took our roughhousing like a man instead of blabbing to the entire town; we wouldn't be in this mess! That twerp is nothing but a backstabbing rat!"

"Boy...when I get outta here and find him, I'm going to...

(Lynn Sr. and Rita shush the girls)

Lynn Sr.: Girls...keep quiet, we're still under surveillance!

The Gal Pals stared at the TV in shock, while they read over the two girls' statements. At the same time, they all the same question on their minds; "how could they say such things about their only brother?" Meanwhile, Lincoln's own mind was caught in a whirlwind of emotions; mostly fear and shame.

Eventually, the report came to an end and so did the TV show they were watching. The time was now 8:45, just a few minutes away from nine; which meant that there was still a bit more time for fun. "Hey, I know; why don't we do some makeovers" suggested Cristina, "it'll be just like our day at the spa!"

Upon hearing this, Haiku thought about "turning in" early; until Jordan and Kat quickly stopped her. "C'mon, girl; makeovers aren't so bad" Jordan insisted, "if you say yes...I'll use some of the Goth face paint from the party earlier." Haiku raised an eyebrow slightly at the offer and took a moment to consider it.

"Fine...I'll go along with it, I suppose" she sighed, "as long as I can limit the touch ups for me to just nails and a little dark eye shadow colors." After the girls cried out "deal" in unison, they immediately collected all the makeup pieces they needed and prepared to start things up. "Hold up, ladies...I think we're forgetting someone" Carol exclaimed, "I'm not sure if our guy friend here would feel very interested in makeovers."

Upon hearing this, Lincoln chuckled shyly and immediately agreed with Carol's assessment. "The spa treatment was great...but I'm not too keen on make up, though" he stated, "but...I _am_ however, open for mud masks." To say that this revelation took the girls completely by surprise would be a gross understatement.

"Are you serious here...or just messing with us" Whitney prodded, "since when have you been into mud masks?" Before Lincoln could answer, he suddenly froze and his smile slowly descended into a frown. "I, uh...that is, I _used_ to...join Lori in putting on mud masks" he mumbled, "you know, back before all...this happened."

Upon sensing the boy's change in mood; Carol, Jordan, Dana, Becky, Whitney and Cristina all huddled around him. Then; before Lincoln could even react; they enveloped him in the most loving group hug he had ever received. "Lookie here, Linc; I know things seem a bit nuts right now" Carol stated, "but we're all here for you...no matter what!"

The others all sounded off in agreement, while also giving him thumbs up gestures or showing him heart-shaped hand formations. "Let's not think about that stuff right now, gang" Dana said with a playful smile, "time to get started on those makeovers!" There was a loud cry of "YEAH" from some of the girls and Jordan quickly collected all the makeup supplies they would need for what's to come.

(Line Break)

The time was now 10 o'clock and the kids, whose faces were coated with either makeup or mud mask solution, had put themselves all to sleep. Jordan's parents offered up the guest room for three of the girls to share; while Jordan offered to share _her_ room with Stella, Kat and Paige. This left Lincoln and the others to sleep in the living room in their sleeping bags.

"You're sure you don't mind bunking with us, Linky" asked Dana, "Whitney said she was more than willing to let _you_ sleep in the guest room and her come in here." Lincoln thanked the teen for her sentiment but assured her that he was fine with the arrangement. "Clyde and I always sleep in our bags, whenever we have ARRGH viewing sleepovers together" he stated, "besides, I could use the company."

The girls all cooed softly at him, each gave him a quick hug and wished him goodnight. "Tomorrow, I say we all go down to the mall for some summer shopping" Dana suggested, "it's never too early to get ready for beach weather!" While most of the girls welcomed the idea, Lincoln gave a yawn and said he'll think it over.

After everyone wished each other either a good night and/or a sweet dreams, the kids laid themselves down and slowly drifted off to sleep.

(The Dreamscape)

_The next instant Lincoln opened his eyes, he found himself ascending high into the sky. He didn't know where he was or where he was headed; so, all he could do was let things take their course. Eventually, Lincoln was dropped off atop of a large cloud somewhere high in the sky._

_ After taking a moment to calm down, he tried his best to understand his current situation. Then, he looked ahead and saw a line of people standing on the middle of the cloud. As Lincoln approached this line, he also spotted a magnificent golden gate standing before him._

_ Upon seeing said gate, it didn't take long for Lincoln to understand where he was...Heaven. This meant that soon; he would pass through the gates and be able to have an eternity of peace, quiet and solitude. But then, he looked at the line of people ahead of him and noticed something was missing; his family._

"They must've been sent inside already before I got here" _he thought to himself, _"either that or some of them might've been sent to...the 'other place.'" _Immediately, Lincoln pushed that thought out of his head; realizing that nobody deserved to have that kind of fate put upon them. Ever so slowly, the people in line made their way up; each one of them being carefully evaluated by St. Peter._

_ So far, every person ahead of Lincoln was granted permission to enter; which gave Lincoln a bit of hope. Then, the time came for _him_ to be judged. "We don't get many young entrants here very often" the angel stated, "but when we do...it's such a pity."_

_ After saying this, St. Peter opened up a large tome; which contained the entire lifetimes of every soul that pass through Heaven's gates. Once he found Lincoln's chapter, he began to read it intently. "Let's see here...a loyal friend, a dutiful son, always tries to do well on his schoolwork" St. Peter mumbled, "although...I see a few parts here where your grades slipped."_

_ At first, Lincoln began to feel rather nervous...until St. Peter assured him it was no big deal. "Truth is, many of the residents here struggled in school; when they were your age" he said with a chuckle, "I mean, Albert struggled quite a bit in Math; on a few occasions." As if on cue, the angel form of Albert Einstein flew passed the gate and greeted St. Peter with a friendly wave._

_ "Yes, everything seems to be in order here" the angel murmured, "except...what is this one thing at the end of your chapter?" Confused, Lincoln asked St. Peter what it was he found; his mind slowly becoming anxious. "According to this; it says that before you passed on, you destroyed your family's livelihoods and social statuses" the angel said grimly, "then, after they were found guilty in court; they were all sentenced to life imprisonment."_

_ When St. Peter showed Lincoln the page, his eyes almost popped out from his head. On the page, he saw a large picture of his family dressed in orange prison uniforms...even the littlest members. Lincoln could not believe what he was being shown and hoped it was all a cruel joke. _

_ "Then, it is revealed that your sisters all murdered one another in their cells" St. Peter grumbled, "all because one side said you were not to blame for their situation while the other disagreed." Once he finished reading, the angel shut the book and glared down at Lincoln. The look in his eyes filled Lincoln with more fear than any form of stare down his older sisters gave him._

_ "This is most troubling, young man" St. Peter said grimly, "what reason could you have had to leave your own kin to such a fate?" When Lincoln was finally able to find his voice, he begged the angel to show him mercy. "It wasn't my fault, honest" he said pleadingly, "I was just...venting to some friends, I didn't mean for any of this to happen to them!"_

_ Despite the sincerity in Lincoln's words, St. Peter proclaimed that the deed had already been done and judgment had to be served. "Family must always stand together, no matter what happens" he decreed, "by bringing such misfortune unto your kin, you have earned your proper fate." Then, he picked up a golden gavel and slammed it down atop his podium. _

_ This soon caused a hole to appear beneath Lincoln's feet. Thinking quickly, Lincoln grabbed hold of the edge; just before he fell through. As he tried to climb back onto the cloud, he took a brief glance over his shoulder and gasped. _

_ Down below him was a swirling vortex, one that led to a familiar place of fire and torment. Then, the Devil himself appeared and laughed wickedly; as he watched Lincoln try to save himself. "AH-HA-HA-HA-HA" he laughed wickedly, "let me have him, send him down...GIVE HIM TO ME, NOW!" _

_ Soon after; dozens of devilish creatures appeared beside their master, each one of them bearing the faces of people who tormented Lincoln in life; his sisters chief among them. Terrified by the sight below him, Lincoln desperately tried to climb back onto the cloud. But each time he did, the hole just got bigger and his grip was starting to weaken. _

_ As his eyes became blinded with tears, Lincoln begged St. Peter to spare his soul. "PLEASE, LET ME THROUGH" he cried desperately, "I'M A GOOD PERSON, I SWEAR!" Finally, the hole grew too big for Lincoln to find a spot to grab on to and his arms succumbed to the fatigue flowing through them; which lead to him falling off the cloud. _

_ As he fell, all the heavens echoed with Lincoln's final mournful cry; "I'M A GOOD PERSOOOOOOOON!"  
_

(the real world)

Outside of the dream; Lincoln was tossing and turning violently inside of his sleeping bag, his face dripping with tears, sweat and runoff from his mud mask. The whole time he rolled around, Lincoln kept groaning the phrase "I'm a good person" in his sleep over and over. Then, all of a sudden; someone picked up a pot of cold water and dumped it over him.

This caused Lincoln to shoot up from the floor and fail his arms wildly. "PLEASE...PLEASE, DON'T SEND ME DOWN THERE" he cried, "I'LL BE A GOOD BOY FROM NOW ON, I PROMISE!" As Lincoln continued raving, he didn't notice that he was being shaken vigorously by his shoulders.

Then, a split second later; Lincoln felt his head jerk to the side and his cheek burning painfully. When he came to, he touched his hand to the right side of his face and winced painfully. "Wha...What happened," he groaned, "what hit me just now?"

After that, Lincoln heard someone clear their throat; before a voice murmured _"the better question is_...who _hit you?"_ He turned to the side to find Jordan, Carol and Stella standing over him; their arms crossed firmly. "Uh oh" Lincoln muttered nervously, "whatever it is...I didn't do it, I swear!"

A split second later; Ajax came rushing over, tackled Lincoln and began licking is face lovingly. Though still confused by what was happening, Lincoln still welcomed the canine's affections. "Ajax heard you moaning in your sleep, sometime ago; which caused _him_ to whimper as well" Jordan murmured firmly, "then, we start hearing you screaming in your sleep and we _knew_ something was up."

In that moment, Lincoln realized what was happening; he had another nightmare and he disturbed everyone's sleep...again. With a shameful frown upon his face, a faint blush appeared on his cheeks and he quickly apologized for disturbing everyone. Then, much to his surprise; Carol and Jordan hugged him tight.

"Pal, you have _nothing_ to apologize for" the latter girl said firmly, "stress makes all of us have bad dreams." Carol seconded Jordan's statement and spoke of a time where she was faced with the classic "showing up at school naked" dream. "It happened around Finals Week, during my Junior Year" she grumbled, "it was _not _pleasant...not at all."

While he welcomed the girls' kind words, Lincoln still felt guilty about waking everyone up. "It was weird; at the beginning, I was floating up into the sky" he explained, "then, I landed on a cloud at the Pearly Gates and was about to learn if I'd be granted entry." Despite the peaceful start of Lincoln's story, the ladies could tell something grim was coming.

"That was when St. Peter started looking at my record" Lincoln murmured, "long story short, he wasn't pleased and I was about to be cast down into...you know where." After that, the girls all sat in stone silence; trying to process what they had just heard. Finally, Carol let out a long sigh and admitted that things were becoming incredibly serious.

"Agreed; if Lincoln keeps having these nightmares, he won't make it to the end of Fifth Grade" Stella murmured fearfully, "let alone make it through the rest of his life." It was then that everyone agreed that drastic measures needed to be taken. However, the question was...what _could_ they do?

That was when Carol remembered the card Clyde gave them before he left. "I think I have the answer, everybody" she exclaimed, I just need to look through my fanny pack quick." After collecting the bag, Carol fished about inside of it for five seconds; until she found what she wanted.

In an instant, she whipped out the card and placed it on the table. Curious, Lincoln looked at the card closely and saw the name Dr. Lopez written on it. "I know her, she helps Clyde whenever he has one of his...episodes involving my sister, Lori" Lincoln stated, "but wait...did _he_ suggest her to you guys?"

The two girls smiled at Lincoln and nodded their heads silently. "We told him about previous nightmares you had at school and when you slept over here not too long ago" Jordan explained, "that's when he recommended Dr. Lopez to us." At first, everyone else questioned if going to a therapist was a good idea.

But then, they had an even bigger question on their minds; if she was able to help Clyde, would this Dr. Lopez be good enough to help Lincoln out with _his_ situation? At the moment, the lad in question was unsure on how to respond; admitting that he never met the doctor in person before. "The only time she's brought up is whenever Clyde or his dads are having an emotional episode" he stated, "but they say she's a big help for _them_; so, she might be able to help _me _too."

With that said; everyone agreed that they would call Dr. Lopez in the morning, after breakfast and set up an appointment. "For now, let's all try and get some sleep" yawned Carol, "it's 3 AM and I don't want to fall behind on my beauty rest." Everyone nodded in agreement and wished each other good night again.

But Lincoln quickly spoke up in saying he wasn't quite comfortable going to sleep just yet. "Sorry, I just...I don't want to have another nightmare" he mumbled, "Stella...do you have any of your Nana's tea left...or did she give you any for the road?" With a regretful sigh, Stella shook her head and said she had none of it on hand.

"Do you do anything else to help you sleep better" suggested Dana, "maybe a song might help." Upon hearing the suggestion, Lincoln smiled brightly and was prepared to present his idea...but hesitated. When everyone saw his expression, they softly urged him to speak up. "I...I don't know if I should" Lincoln mumbled, "I'm worried you might all laugh at me."

Upon hearing this, the girls looked at him in shock and reminded Lincoln of how long they've all stood by him. "We've heard your deepest fears, witnessed your best skills and even seen you at your silliest moments" Cristina stated, "if none of that shows you that you can trust us with anything...we are shocked." The other gals softly murmured words of agreement and once again, asked Lincoln for his idea for a relaxing song to help him sleep.

"Well...it's something that's not only helped me, over the years but my sisters as well" he admitted, "you gals ever heard of Fenton the Fox?" Upon hearing the name, some of the ladies started squealing softly with delight. "I _loved_ that fox, growing up" Dana cheered, "his song always helped Chaz fall asleep, when we were young."

After that, everyone got a clear idea of what they needed to do. So; Carol and her posse, Phoebe, Jordan and Stella all gathered around Lincoln and helped him lie down comfortably. "Now, just relax and let our voices carry you away" whispered Carol, "time to sleep, Lil' Linky." After letting out a deep yawn, Lincoln's eyes fluttered slightly; as he slowly drifted back to sleep.

A split second later, the Gals beside him each began humming the tune of Fenton's song. Lincoln let out a soft moan in his sleep, as the melody reached his ears. Then, the ladies started to sing the song out loud; all while rocking him a little.

_Cheer up, baby, don't you cry  
No more tears, it's cheer up time  
Laugh with me and we will be  
Happy, happy, happy!_

As his mind began to slowly drift off into the Dreamscape once more, Lincoln didn't find himself falling into the hellish vortex. Instead, he was resting on a cloud that was being carried upwards. Above him, he saw angels bearing the likenesses of all the Gal Pals gazing down upon him.

Then, as he began to fall into a peaceful slumber; his ears were filled with the melodious sounds of heavenly harmonization. Then, the angels all began to sing to him softly like a sort of divine church choir.

_Cheer up, baby, don't you cry  
No more tears, it's cheer up time  
Laugh with me and we will be  
Happy, happy, happy!_

As the song echoed through the heavens, Lincoln found himself sleeping more soundly. After letting out a soft yawn, Lincoln snuggled himself comfortably against the cloud while the angels continued to sing to him and comfort him.

_Cheer up, baby, don't you cry  
No more tears, it's cheer up time  
Laugh with me and we will be  
Happy, happy, happy!_

(AN: As we leave Lincoln in the land of dreams, one can only wonder what tomorrow will bring. Will his nightmares become a reality, will Dr. Lopez be able to help keep him sane? Tune in next time, Loud Crowd for the next installment of Gal Pals.)

(Second AN: The story Lincoln is telling to the party guests at the beginning is a possible excerpt for the Ace Savvy and the Full House Gang: Double Draw story I may consider writing. Wonder if you all will get as hooked as the crowd at the party. Wink-wink.)

(Third AN: The Space Shire 7 title on the one girl's t-shirt that Zach saw is a reference to a moment from Family Guy, where Brian tries to create a sci-fi/fantasy series.)

(Fourth AN: The Fenton Fox song is from the episode Crying Dame.)

(Fifth AN: The one "Would You Rather question Carol is from Regular Show, just worded differently. Please note that I didn't steal it from the show. I imagine such a question actually exists in the game IRL.)

(Final AN: The part in the dream where Lincoln's clawing at the cloud to keep himself from falling into Hell is a slight reference to Mickey's Christmas Carol, where Ebenezer Scrooge does the same thing...but while trying to climb out of a grave. Meanwhile, the words the Devil was shouting up at Lincoln were inspired from the Tom & Jerry short "Heavenly Puss.")


	21. Chapter Twenty: Visiting Dr Lopez

Visiting Dr. Lopez

The atmosphere of the room was tense; all around him, Lincoln could see people either muttering to themselves fearfully or mildly trembling with anxiety. The only sounds that could be heard were that of faint coughing or muzak playing faintly from an old radio at the reception desk. The whole time he sat there, one thought ran through Lincoln's mind...how did it come to this?

Spring Break was supposed to be a time of laughter, merriment, revelry and cutting loose. Granted, over the past few days; Lincoln _had_ done a great deal of all of that with the gals. Yet, through each activity he participated in; he couldn't seem to free his mind from thinking about his family.

On one hand, he was still paranoid about the possibility of a surprise ambush from his sisters. Despite the fact that they, along with his parents, were under a restraining order; Lincoln knew his sisters better than that. As such, he believed that somehow...some way; they would find a way around the order and come after him.

Then, on the other hand; he still couldn't help but feel worried for their well-being. As much as he hated all the humiliation and stress he endured, Lincoln still cared for his family and couldn't bring himself to _completely_ hate them. Then, on the _third_ hand (which Lisa would consider a "scientific impossibility,") there was the matter of the nightmares.

The daydreams he had at school were small, like a sort of "rough night's sleep after watching a late-night horror movie" scenario. The second nightmare felt like the equivalent of cramming all night for finals and having difficulty falling asleep afterwards; no matter how hard you try, your thoughts just kept waking you up. Then, there was his most recent nightmare; which happened but a few short hours ago, at Jordan's home.

Even now, while sitting inside of the waiting room of a psychiatry office, he could still hear the laugher of the hellish demons echoing in his ears. But...we're getting a little ahead of ourselves here; let us turn back the clock, shall we?

(Jordan's House, hours earlier)

_Hours passed since the girls helped sing Lincoln back into a peaceful sleep and for the remainder of the night, he slept rather soundly. Unfortunately, the nightmare he had earlier happened around 2 AM; which didn't offer Lincoln a great deal amount of rest. So, Lincoln found himself sleeping well into the early morning._

_ He would've slept even longer, if Ajax didn't enter the room and greet the boy with a sloppy kiss on the cheek. After a couple more tongue licks, Lincoln grumbled and glared at the dog slightly with a grin. "What the heck, dude" he said with a yawn, "I wanted the morning news...not the weather."_

_ A split second after that, Lincoln heard the faint sounds of giggling coming from behind him. He turned around quickly to find all ten of his Gal Pals, sitting in the kitchen and waving at him. "Good morning, Linky" Carol greeted him sweetly while pouring herself a cappuccino, "did you sleep well?"_

_ Lincoln smiled slightly at the girls and greeted them with a small yawn, while saying "good morning." "I _did_ sleep well, actually; thanks to you ladies" he said gratefully, before stretching his back out; "anybody mind if I go freshen up in the bathroom quick?" The ladies all smiled at him warmly and shook their heads in reply, before Jordan offered Lincoln to go in first._

_ After giving the ladies a grateful bow, he collected his supplies (a fresh change of clothes, toothbrush, his loofa etc.) and headed upstairs. Once he was in the bathroom, the ladies' earlier joyful expressions instantly shifted to looks of worry. "Gals, bring it in" instructed Carol, "time for a little powwow."_

_ The girls did as they were told and all gathered around their eldest friend. Afterwards, they all began to talk about an important piece of business; their guy pal's sanity. "Things are getting serious, girls" Dana murmured worriedly, "had it not been for us, Lincoln would've had the worst night sleep ever."_

_ The others all whispered in agreement; each of them voicing their concerns for Lincoln's mental, emotional and even psychological state. "We all know why he had that dream to begin with; right gals" questioned Becky, "it's all because of that news report we saw while watching TV." The ladies all nodded slightly in agreement; remembering the look of shock on their pal's face, when the report came on._

_ "This whole business with his sisters is getting out of hand, ladies" Carol said firmly, "if things get any crazier, our little man could be in big trouble." As the ladies shuddered at the idea of Lincoln suffering severe mental trauma from the ordeal...or worse, they suddenly heard footsteps approaching. At first, they expected it to be Lincoln returning from the bathroom._

_ Instead, much to their relief, it was only Jordan's parents; who were in the midst of having their morning coffee. "Good morning, girls" the mother said cheerfully, "hope you all had a fun night." The ladies all simply murmured in reply while also giving slight hand waves in greeting. "Hey, now; why the long faces, ladies" Jordan's father asked, "from all the giggling we heard upstairs, last night; it seemed as though you had a blast."_

_ Jordan quickly realized the tones they were using and quickly rectified their mistake. "We _did_ have fun last night, Mom; honest" she answered quickly, "we're just...we've just been thinking about some stuff right now." Her curiosity piqued, Jordan's mother asked the girls what the problem was...but they hesitated._

_ "It's not that we don't want to tell you, Ma'am" Carol murmured uneasily, "it's just...difficult to explain." To give her mother a proper understanding of what was happening, Jordan simply said that Lincoln might be in trouble. "Goodness me, what happened," she gasped, "he didn't do anything...indecent, did he?"_

_ Taken aback by the lewd suggestion, the ladies all collectively blushed and unanimously shouted outcries of "no" or "nothing happened." "Thing is, Ma'am...Lincoln had some difficulty sleeping, last night" Dana stated, "he had another nightmare, a REEEEEALLLY bad one to boot." Upon hearing this revelation; Jordan's mother became both confused, curious _and _worried all at the same time._

_ "What sort of nightmare was it" she asked, "was it like the one he had when he first stayed over?" The ladies all shook their heads and Jordan gestured for her mother to come closer. After giving a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders, the woman complied and approached her daughter._

_ "Okay, Mom...what I'm about to tell you is huge" Jordan said in a hushed tone, "you may not believe me, at first...but everything is 100% true." After seeing her mother nod in understanding, Jordan leaned in slightly and began whispering into her ear. As the other girls watched them, Carol could see the expression on Jordan's mother's face shift ever so slightly._

_ At the beginning, she appeared moderately indifferent; like most adults would before they had their coffee. Then, three seconds later; her expression shifted into a look of confusion. Then, it turned into mild disgust, then anger and finally... horror. The moment Jordan pulled away, she could sense that her mother appeared on the verge of fainting._

_ "Here, Mom...come sit down with me" she murmured softly while taking the woman's hand in hers, "I'll go get your coffee for you." As Jordan walked to the side, her mother sat in her chair in a slouched position; desperately trying to comprehend what had been said to her._

_ "Now...girls, could you run the whole thing by me again" she sighed deeply, "last night...Lincoln had a dream where he was sentenced to Hell for 'bringing his family misfortune?'" The ladies said nothing, due to the fact they were also shocked by the nature of Lincoln's nightmare. The only reply they could offer was a silent but collective nod._

_ "Where is Lincoln right now, if I may ask" questioned the woman, "surely he could shed some light on this." Instantly, Jordan answered in saying he was up in the bathroom. "He's probably taking a shower right now" she murmured, "which gives all of _us_ to discuss things."_

_ With this news presented, Jordan's mother felt some relief wash over her. Despite current circumstances; at the very least, Lincoln was still with them and doing his best to go about his morning like normal. "I must say, girls; this is a lot to take in" she said with a tone of disbelief, "I'm afraid...Lincoln might need some professional help with this matter."_

_ Upon hearing this, Carol smiled broadly and proclaimed she was thinking the same thing. "Before he left the yard; Lincoln's bestie, Clyde gave me something" she stated, "it's the business card for someone who's helped out him and his fathers for a long time." With that said; Carol reached into her PJ pants pocket and placed, brought out the card and placed it on the kitchen table._

_ Intrigued, Jordan's mother picked up the card and read the writing on it intently. "Dr...Lopez" she muttered softly, "that name seems familiar, isn't she the one the McBrides often call on a regular basis?" Some of the gals murmured happily at her response, pleased that the woman had some memory of the therapist (albeit a small one.)_

_ "When we told Clyde about all the night terrors Linc's been happening before the party, he offered us Dr. Lopez's card" Jordan explained, "he claims she could help Lincoln the same way she always did for him." After hearing the idea; Jordan's mother was (understandably) a little skeptical, at first. No one in her family ever felt the need to see a therapist before._

_ As such, she was unsure about the skills of this Dr. Lopez and wondered if she really could help Lincoln with his troubles. But after learning about Lincoln's latest nightmare, she realized that now was the best time to take a leap of faith. "I just hope your this idea works, girls" Jordan's mother said with a sigh, "if it doesn't...I shudder to think about what will happen to Lincoln down the line."_

_ With that said, everyone was now in full agreement and Carol immediately dialed up the number on the card. Ten Minutes later, Lincoln emerged from the bathroom; dressed in his morning clothes and brushing his hair slightly. Once he opened the door, steam poured out from behind him; signaling that he had taken a shower while inside._

_ "That certainly felt nice" Lincoln said with a pleased sigh, "best clean up my mess quick before any of the girls come in." With that said; Lincoln stored the towel he used in the hamper, put the shampoo bottle back in the shelf beside the tub, cleared up the sink counter and put all his belongings inside of his bag. After that shower, Lincoln felt mildly refreshed; in spite of his rough night sleep._

_ With his bag slung over his shoulder, Lincoln made his way downstairs to join the ladies in the kitchen. "Thanks for letting me use your bathroom, Jordan" he said gratefully, "it's open for anyone else here, if you need to use it." The girls thanked him for his kindness but assured him that they would freshen up in their own homes, when the time comes._

_ "Okay, then; who's up for some breakfast" Lincoln suggested, "not to brag...but I make a rather good omelet." The girls and Jordan's mother all stared at Lincoln in amazement. They could not believe that, even after having such a horrid nightmare, he still had enough optimism inside of him to help make others happy._

_ "Thank you so much for the offer, Linky" Carol said with great pride, "but...I think we might go out for breakfast, if that's okay with you." While the offer seemed rather spontaneous, at first; Lincoln realized that it would give Jordan's parents a much needed break from cleaning or whatever else. So, with a broad smile on his face; Lincoln sided with having breakfast out on the town._

(Line Break)

_ Sometime later, the gang arrived at their destination; Aloha Comrade. After a bit of persuasion, thanks to Carol and Cristina (who utilized a bit of a puppy dog eyes look on Sergei,) the group was seated at their tables. Once everyone had placed their orders, everyone soon found themselves playing "The Waiting Game."_

_ "Thanks for the idea of going out for breakfast, girls" Lincoln said gratefully, "I still think it would've been no bother for me to cook a little for you." The moment he made this comment, Dana scooted over and squeezed Lincoln in a tight hug. "Linky, we adore you...but you gotta stop putting yourself out for us so much" she said with a mild eye roll, "this Spring Break is as much for you as it is for all of _us_."_

_ The other girls murmured in agreement, assuring Lincoln there was no trouble at all in going out for a meal. "Besides, after the night _you_ had; the last thing you need is to do is work" Carol said firmly, "this meal is on us...we insist upon it." Lincoln couldn't help but smile; once again, the Gal Pals were all treating him like he was one of their own (like family.)_

_ This was a feeling he hadn't experienced with his own family for a long, long while; something he hoped to get back...eventually. In time, the waiter arrived and placed everyone's meals onto their tables. "Okay, everyone; eat up" urged Carol, "that especially goes for you, Linc." _

_ Not needing to be told twice, Lincoln smiled and immediately delved into his pancakes and sausage. As the ladies began eating _their_ meals, each of them exchanged glances at one another and nodded. As Lincoln prepared to wash down his meal with some orange juice, Whitney quickly placed her hand on his; stopping him._

_ "Before you finish up, lil' man; we...have something to tell you" she murmured, "now...promise you won't freak out or anything." Lincoln was unsure of how to respond to such a statement. But after everything they've all been through, he decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and listen to what the girls had to say._

_ "Well, pal...after that nightmare of yours from last night; we all felt terribly worried for you" Carol murmured, "we're afraid that if this keeps up, there could be some possible damage done to your health." With that said, Jordan revealed that her parents helped set up an appointment for him at Dr. Lopez's office. "If Clyde's right about her, she may be able to help lift this emotional weight off your shoulders" Kat stated, "what do you think?"_

_ For a moment or so, Lincoln didn't say a thing; his mind whirling too fast with emotions for him to concentrate. On one hand, he felt like Dr. Lopez could help ease his suffering. But on the other hand, with so many people knowing about his plight already; he was unsure if it was a good idea for another one to hear of it._

_ Fearing that he might refuse the idea, Cristina decided to break out the big guns. Once she was able to face him properly, she cleared her throat and swiftly went into "puppy dog eyes" mode. But at the moment, it didn't seem to affect Lincoln; much to the ladies' disdain._

_ "Sorry, ladies...but Lola, Lana and even Lily used that same trick on me already" he said confidently, "even when all three of them came at me, I...barely flinched." Upon hearing the word "barely," this led the girls to think they still had a chance to bring down his walls. To help fuel the fire, Dana began stroking his cheeks and chin affectionately; like one does to a puppy or kitten._

_ "Pwease, Winky; pwease go see doctuh" she said in a babyish tone of voice, "we wanna see our favowite widdle man get all bettuh...pwease go?" At first, Lincoln's resolve started to falter; the teenager's adorable voice proving rather difficult to resist. But after biting down on his lip, Lincoln managed to find the strength to resist her charms._

_ However, there was one thing Lincoln didn't count on...a ten-way assault of the same attack. The hardest baby voices to resist were those of Cristina, Paige, Jordan, Phoebe and even Carol. "Girls...I know you mean well" Lincoln muttered with a struggling tone, "but I don't think it's a good idea for me to see a therapist."_

_ At first, the girls all considered giving up...until Haiku decided to give it a try. _"I think I might be safe now" _Lincoln thought to himself, _"baby talk isn't really a thing Haiku would do." _As Lincoln turned to face Haiku, the young Goth simply gave him a wry grin and brought out her phone._

_ "No disrespect meant, Haiku...but what do you plan to do with _that_" Lincoln asked coyly, "are you planning on using musical torture on me?" Upon hearing this; the wee Goth confessed that while she adored the idea of torture, she had another idea in mind. After that; she brought up her music library, selected a song and pressed play._

_ Soon, the phone began to play an extremely somber piano tune. After that, Haiku gave Lincoln her own version of the puppy dog eyes look, complete with a quivering bottom lip. To the eyes of an outsider, Haiku's look would resemble something out of a Tim Burton film (one of his animated features; specifically.)_

_ With Haiku joining the fray and the piano music as an added bonus, the ladies all resumed their "sad face barrage;" which seemed to be doing its work on Lincoln. "Arrgh! Oh...no fair, girls" he grumbled while closing his eyes, "with the faces and the eyes and the...AUGH! ALRIGHT...I'll go." Pleased with this decision, the girls all enveloped Lincoln in a massive group hug._

_ "Thank so, so, sooo much; Linky" gushed Carol, "trust us, this will do you a world of good; in the end." After breakfast was finished and the bill was paid, Carol drove Lincoln down to Dr. Lopez's office. Once he was checked in, Carol and the others left him to take care of things from there. _

_ "Wait...aren't you guys going to stick with me" Lincoln asked in confusion, "what if I need backup or something." Some of the gals in his grade chuckled softly and assured him he would be fine. "You don't need us to speak to the doctor for you, Linc" Stella assured, "just speak openly, honestly and don't be afraid." _

_ After that, Carol said they'd all just be popping by the pet food place for hers and Jordan's dogs; while he was with the doctor. "We should be back in an hour or so" Carol explained, "but if anything seems amiss, don't hesitate to give any of us a ring; understood?" Lincoln smiled slightly, nodded in understanding and gave them a heroic salute. _

_ After that, the ladies each shared with him either a loving hug or a small kiss on the forehead/cheek. "Good luck in there, Linky" Whitney said sweetly, "remember that we all love you, always." Lincoln smiled at them all before extending the same love to them. Then, after the girls left the building; Lincoln went into the waiting room and took a seat in silence._

(Line Break)

As we come back to the present, Lincoln is still sitting in the waiting room; twiddling his thumbs anxiously and nibbling on his lip. Even though it was too late to turn back now, Lincoln began to question if him being here was a good idea after all. _"Just calm down, Lincoln; there's nothing to be afraid of" _he assured himself, _"Clyde says Dr. Lopez is a nice woman...despite all the times she gets annoyed by his phone calls to her house."_

After that, Lincoln began repeating Stella's earlier words to himself like a sort of mantra; "speak openly, speak honestly and don't be afraid." For four minutes, he did this and it seemed to help ease his mind a bit. Finally, the door swung open; which caused Lincoln to snap out of his slightly meditative trance.

Once he recovered, Lincoln turned to the side to find a nurse smiling down at him. "Good morning, Mr. Loud" she said sweetly, "the doctor will see you now, just follow me." Lincoln did as he was told and eventually, he was led into a large office.

In the left corner of the room, there was a large mahogany desk; which was decorated with an assortment of random items (a notepad, pens, a clay bust of Freud and a picture frame.) On the right side, in the middle of the room; he spotted a large couch (which Lincoln realized was where the patients sat.) Beside this couch was a tall, leather chair and hanging on the right wall, Lincoln spotted several pictures of nature and a college degree.

Lincoln let out a soft sigh, entered the room and planted himself on the couch. The moment he did, the boy suddenly found himself becoming slightly drowsy and was slowly drifting off to sleep. But before that could happen, a voice suddenly broke the silence of the room by asking "feeling comfortable?"

This suddenly statement caused Lincoln to almost fall from the couch in surprise. But before he did, someone gently grabbed hold of his arm; keeping him from falling. "Watch yourself now, young man" a woman's voice said with a slight chuckle, "if you fall and hit your head, I don't get paid."

Upon seating himself more appropriately on the couch, Lincoln looked up and spotted a woman standing before him. The two of them soon found themselves staring at each other in silence, as if studying each other. Finally, the woman broke the long silence with a surprise gasp.

"I thought I recognized your voice from somewhere" she stated, "you're the boy Clyde often talks about...Lincoln Loud, am I right?" With a sheepish grin on his face, the aforementioned boy gave the woman a slight nod and waved at her. "It's so nice to finally meet you in person, young man" the woman said warmly, "I'm Dr. Anastasia Lopez; your friend, Clyde's family therapist."

The two shook hands in greeting and Dr. Lopez took her seat on a chair next to the patient couch. "I must say, Mr. Loud; it's both an honor and a surprise to see you here" she stated, "I say it's a surprise because...well, I've never seen you in my office before; just your BBF." Lincoln smiled slightly at her and tried his best to steer the doctor's focus off of him by talking about her relationship with Clyde.

"If I may be blunt with you, young man...I think he's a very good boy" Dr. Lopez complimented, "he's sweet, dedicated to his fathers and very loyal to those he considers his friends...like you." Lincoln couldn't help but smile at her words; she truly _did_ seem as nice as Clyde and his dads described her. But then, the woman's gentle demeanor shifted slightly into an exhausted expression.

"However, there _are_ moments where I'm almost at my limit with him" murmured Dr. Lopez, "particularly whenever he calls me at my home." This statement caused Lincoln to softly chuckle under his breath. If he had a quarter for every time Clyde called his therapist at home, he'd be able to buy enough Flippees for everyone in Michigan.

"Truth be told, Clyde always seems to call me whenever someone named 'Lori' inspires him to do it" confessed Dr. Lopez, "care to shed some light on that matter, since you two are so close." In that moment, Lincoln suddenly hesitated; unsure of whether or not he should answer her. "Um...yeah, about that" he muttered, "the 'Lori' girl he talks with you about...is actually one of my sisters."

The moment he said this, Dr. Lopez held a clipboard over her face and began to scribble down some notes. Unbeknownst to Lincoln, however; she was smiling behind said clipboard. The reason; when Jordan's parents called to set up Lincoln's appointment, they revealed that Lincoln may appear..."hesitant" in discussing anything about his family.

So, by bringing up Clyde's phone calls to her; Dr. Lopez managed to help coerce Lincoln into opening up...at least a little. "This may come as a shock to you, Doctor" Lincoln said suddenly, "but...I'm the middle child in a group of ten other siblings, all girls." This revelation caught Dr. Lopez completely off-guard.

So much so that she accidentally broke the tip of her pencil, whilst writing her notes down. "I'm sorry...could you repeat that" she murmured in disbelief, "did you say you have _ten_ female siblings at home?" The expression on the woman's face caused Lincoln to crack a tiny smile, before he answered with a nod.

"It's crazy, I know...but I'm telling the truth" he said bluntly, "and I'm right smack in the middle between my eldest and youngest sisters." Once this was brought up, the conversations began. At first, Lincoln simply mentioned some of the genuine "moments of mild chaos" that would happen at home (fighting over the remote, waiting in line for the bathroom, the formerly used kiddy table etc.) and it all seemed to satisfy the doctor's curiosity.

"Goodness, that _is_ a lot to deal with" she chuckled slightly, "I thought my cousin had it difficult with _four_ siblings...but this is beyond that." After taking a moment to collect a new pencil, Dr. Lopez jotted down a few more notes in silence. While this was happening, Lincoln began to feel slightly more relaxed; presuming that his fears of talking about his family drama wouldn't come to pass after all.

Then, after she had finished writing; Dr. Lopez placed her notepad upon her lap and gazed at him with a rather stoic gaze. "I imagine such chaos could be taxing on one's patience and mental state" she murmured, "has this ever happened with you, perchance?" Not expecting the conversation to go in such a direction, Lincoln almost stumbled off the couch in surprise.

Once he seated himself again, he asked what brought the doctor to ask such a question. "Well, according to my most recent call; it seems you've been having a stream of nightmares" she said bluntly, "said nightmares seem to involve your sisters...care to explain." Upon hearing about the call, Lincoln realized that she must've been talking about the one Jordan's parents made earlier on.

"I...I don't really want to talk about it" he mumbled, "in fact, I'm not so sure if I should even _be_ here." After that; he pushed himself off the couch, took out his cellphone and prepared to press Carol's number on speed dial. But then, Lincoln suddenly felt Dr. Lopez's hand rest upon his shoulder; which caused him to stop.

"Lincoln, I know you're afraid" she said with a soft tone, "I know you feel responsible for what's happened to your family...but you're not, I swear it." The moment Dr. Lopez said these words, Lincoln did something that neither of them expected; he laughed. It started out soft like a small chuckle; then, it grew louder in volume.

Then, much to the doctor's shock; Lincoln threw his head back and started laughing uproariously. To the receptionist and other patients waiting outside, the boy's laughter gave the impression that someone must've said a rather funny joke in the office. But to Dr. Lopez's ears; it all sounded cold, unfeeling and spiteful.

When Lincoln finally stopped, he wiped a tear from his eyes and gave the doctor a cruel grin. "Is that what you really think" he mumbled grimly, "well, I'm here to tell you...YOU'RE _DEAD WRONG!"_ The moment these words passed his lips; the poor boy flew into a vicious, self-destructive tirade.

"Everything that's happened to my family is _all_ my fault" he shouted, "if I had just kept my mouth shut, stayed in the house during the protocol and never talked to anyone about all this; my parents and sisters would still be at home now!" Upon hearing the boy's words, Dr. Lopez's became even more curious.

"What is this 'protocol' you speak of, dear" she asked, "is it a sort of family rule you have?" Lincoln rolled his eyes slightly and said that it wasn't a family rule, just one his sisters made up. "It's just some dumb policy where if two or more of my sisters get into a fight, everyone else stays away from them until they make up" he explained bitterly, "this same rule applies if _all _of my sisters end up fighting each other along with the two...and I can't stop it."

Dr. Lopez was quite shocked, to say the least by all this and asked what his parents have done to remedy the situation. "There's no point in asking that, Ma'am" he grumbled, "my folks can handle two or maybe, _four_ of us fighting...but if all ten girls go at it, they run for the hills." Dr. Lopez took a moment to write down some notes, before asking Lincoln if _he_ ever tried to help them make up.

"I did...once but all it led to was me making things worse" he grumbled, "according to my sisters, it's better that I don't get involved; whenever they fight each other." The moment she heard the last portion of his statement, Dr. Lopez raised her eyebrow in curiosity. "From what you've just said, it feels as though your sisters don't quite appreciate your assistance; whenever you tried help them" she surmised, "is this true...or am I simply speculating?

In response to her inquiry, Lincoln offered a "so-so" hand gesture; proclaiming that his value amongst his sisters was (what he considered) 50/50. "Some of the time; whenever I would lend a hand, my sisters always seemed to thank me for it" he said with a heaving sigh, "I'd help them with their chores, help coach Lola for upcoming pageants (when I'm able,) work as their assistant whenever they did performances (mostly for Luna and Luan) or even help make breakfast for everybody." Soon after he said this, Lincoln's eyes narrowed into a look of pure contempt; before he continued.

"But then, whenever _I _need help or need space to work on something important; they almost never seem to care" Lincoln grumbled, "for example; my eldest sister, Lori will only take me to the comic shop if I do perform some stupid request she has." Dr. Lopez appeared indifferent, upon hearing this statement; believing that in order to receive compensation, siblings _should_ strive to earn it.

"Normally, I'd agree; especially since most of my sisters are reasonable in their requests" Lincoln stated, "but Lori...she thinks that just because _she's_ the oldest and _she's_ the only one who can drive (for now,) it means she can force us to do anything she asks." After that, Lincoln listed off every "favor" he had to fulfill just to get a simple ride to the comic shop. These ranged from cleaning her room, doing each of _her_ assigned house chores, doing _her_ laundry and many other examples.

"I'm cool with taking out her trash or vacuuming her room out, Doc" he murmured, "but sometimes, she goes too far...like scrapping off the calluses from her feet." With this reveal, Dr. Lopez couldn't help but give out a small shudder of disgust. "What of your other older sisters" she asked, "don't _they_ have their licenses or even learners permits?"

Upon being asked this, Lincoln recounted the only other one of his sisters who attempted to earn a license; Leni. "She's the second oldest of my sisters, just right below Lori" he stated, "she's a sweetheart and great with fashion...but she's not exactly smart." Just as Dr. Lopez prepared to scold Lincoln for making an unwarranted insult, the boy told begged her to let him explain.

"What I meant was...Leni...is smart in her own way" he mumbled, "she rules fashion, designing, has a good eye for artistic beauty and knows how to care for us when we're sick." Dr. Lopez appeared rather pleased with the boy's words and urged him to continue. "Then, of course...she has her moments" Lincoln sighed, "moments where she struggles to do the simplest of things."

Intrigued, Dr. Lopez urged Lincoln to share more about his elder sister. "Let me put it this way, Doctor; you ever heard of the 'dumb blonde' stereotype" questioned Lincoln, earning a slight nod from the therapist; "well...Leni is the living embodiment of that." He then went on to explain Leni's history of absent-minded/ditzy moments.

These ranged from accidentally spoiling birthday surprises, forgetting to blink, an inability to walk and chew gum at the same time (something Dr. Lopez considered too bizarre to believe) all the way up to driving the family van into different bodies of water (from ponds, fountains...even the community pool.) "We tried to teach how to drive a few times but typical teaching methods didn't work" Lincoln explained, "so, I came up with methods _she_ could understand." When asked what these methods were, Lincoln simply answered in saying he used "fashion terms."

"For example, I used the visual example of 'go-go' boots for the accelerator" he stated, "while I used a white shoe for the break pedal...which in Leni's head, meant 'stop.'" Despite the absurd nature of Lincoln's story, the boy assured Dr. Lopez that it was 100% true. "Through it all, the girls and I thought Leni could actually ace her driving test and gain her license" he said with a hopeful tone, "but then...our plans hit a 'bump in the road,' as they say."

Curious, Dr. Lopez asked what sort of "bump in the road" got in the way; to which Lincoln replied with only one word...Lori. "She was so hung up on not wanting to give up her place at the driver's seat, let alone share the title of family driver" he grumbled, "she purposefully caused Leni to forget everything she learned!" When Dr. Lopez asked how his sister planned to achieve this; Lincoln answered in saying that during the night, Lori slipped headphones over Leni's ears and played an instructional tape on bad driving habits.

To say the least, Dr. Lopez was mortified by Lincoln's words and asked if his sister felt any genuine remorse for her actions. "Yeah, I guess she did" Lincoln mumbled, "after seeing how upset Leni was about failing the test again, Lori _did_ feel rather guilty for having a hand in it and offered to help teach her for a second try...but that was months ago." To conclude his story, Lincoln said Leni hadn't attempted to drive again for some time and Lori still remained as the head driver.

"As I said earlier; she won't take any of us anywhere, unless we do her favors" Lincoln grumbled, "sometimes, we _do_ go for a drive with her...but it's not always by choice." With that said, Lincoln recounted all the times Lincoln was forced to ride with Lori to her boyfriend's house. When asked why he had to go along, Lincoln answered in saying that he "had to be there for his girlfriend."

Dr. Lopez couldn't help but gush a little at the reveal and asked who Lincoln's "girlfriend" was. At the same time, she questioned how his sister's boyfriend fit into the equation. "That is where things get a little complex, Doc" Lincoln groaned, "first of all, Lori's boyfriend has a little sister, one who used to bully me relentlessly at my school on _multiple _occasions."

After he listed each of the things the sister did to him, Lincoln soon found himself out of breath. Upon seeing this, Dr. Lopez offered him a cup of water to help refresh him. Not needing to be told twice; Lincoln thanked her for the cup, took it in hand and guzzled down every last drop.

"Ah! Thanks, Doc...I needed that" Lincoln sighed with relief, "now, where was I?" Dr. Lopez let out a little giggle at his statement and told him about the bully sister. "Oh, yeah...when the day came that my sisters heard I was being bullied; they wanted to try and 'help me'" he explained, "but I knew, deep down that they would only make things worse."

With a look of disbelief on her face, Dr. Lopez questioned how much worse could the situation get from there. "I'll tell you exactly how, Doctor" Lincoln said with a cold chuckle, "the moment I revealed that my bully was a _girl_, my sisters lost their collective minds!" It was here that Lincoln revealed his sisters' most insane belief; that when a girl picks on a boy, it means they "like them."

The moment he said this, Dr. Lopez slowly fell into a hysterical fit of laughter. She guffawed, chortled and cackled for almost a minute and a half, until she saw the firm look on Lincoln's face and stopped. Thinking quickly; she fixed her hair, smoothed out her overcoat and took her seat back in the chair.

"My sincerest apologies for that, Lincoln" she murmured in embarrassment, "but surely, you understand the absurdity of your sister's idea of what flirting is." Lincoln shared a small chuckle, assuring her that he already knew of how insane the whole thing was. "It certainly doesn't stop my Lori or her boyfriend from trying to set us both up" he grumbled, "sometimes, she even threatens me into being her 'wing man...' or whatever."

When Dr. Lopez asked Lincoln to elaborate on his statement, Lincoln brought up a time where Lori's boyfriend decided to stay in Great Lakes City with his family instead of coming back to Royal Woods. Furious, Lori drove the van to the apartment building; intent on changing his mind. Of course, Lincoln revealed how _he_ was forced to come along because of the "girlfriend" thing.

"I tried to convince Lori otherwise and that she was worrying over nothing" he grumbled, "instead, she says this to me." After taking a moment to clear his throat, the boy began to mimic his sister's voice and mannerisms. "'Lincoln, we are literally crossing a bridge...do you really want to get into an argument WITH ME RIGHT NOW?!'"

After that, Dr. Lopez could immediately tell that Lori threatened to hold Lincoln over a bridge...or worse; if he didn't agree to go along with her. "Does Lori behave this way to you on a regular basis" she asked, "furthermore, do your other sisters do the same thing?" Upon being asked this, Lincoln froze; unsure of whether or not he should answer...or _how_ he should answer.

Upon sensing this change in the boy's behavior, Dr. Lopez tried to think of another way to help him open up. "Tell me, young man; is any of your family out in the waiting room, by chance" she inquired, "or perhaps, a friend of yours?" Though mildly taken aback by such a request, Lincoln revealed that no one was outside.

"Some friends _did_ drop me off earlier, yes" he admitted, "but they thought this appointment was a private matter and decided to leave me here with you, after I was checked in." At first, Dr. Lopez thought it was reckless of his friends to leave him unattended at a doctor's office. But Lincoln quickly revealed that before they left; some of the girls told Lincoln to call them, if anything was wrong.

"Very commendable, indeed" Dr. Lopez murmured approvingly, "would you feel more comfortable if we had them talk with us through the speaker phone or do you want them here with us?" Upon being asked this, Lincoln took a moment to carefully consider both options. On one hand, he felt putting the girls on speaker would be a good idea; mainly because he didn't want to disrupt whatever _they_ were doing.

However; on the other hand, Lincoln thought that having the girls in the office with him might make things seem a little less tense for him. Plus, they could help him explain matters to Dr. Lopez in ways he himself could not. "Sure, I can give them a call" he stated, "I have each of their numbers on my phone."

With that, Lincoln took out his phone and brought up his call list. Upon finding Carol's number, he let out a small sigh and pressed the speed dial button.

(Line Break)

While our hero was in the midst of his session, Carol and a few of the girls were finishing up their rounds at the pet shop. "I think I have enough dog food to satisfy Alistair for some time" chuckled Carol, while pushing a small cart; "you all good on that too, Jordan?" The girl in question smiled confidently and patted her hand against a large dog food bag with the words "extra streak flavor" printed on the front.

"Sigh...it's a shame that there aren't any sections where one might find bat food" Haiku murmured, "but at least they had an abundance of insects in the reptile food section." This statement caused the girls to all let out soft grimaces of disgust. After pushing the thought out of their heads, they made their way to the checkout line and paid for their items.

Moments later, the ladies left the pet shop and headed for the car. As Carol and Jordan began loading the pet food into the back, the former suddenly felt her cellphone vibrating in her pocket. "Now, who could be calling me at this time" mumbled Carol, "must be my folks checking on me or something."

As the girls chuckled slightly at the over-protectiveness of their parents, Carol took out her phone and was prepared to send the call to voicemail. But then, at the last moment, Whitney grabbed hold of Carol's left wrist; just as her finger hovered inches away from the button. "Before you do anything else, girl; check the ID" she suggested, "I don't think you want to ignore _this_ call."

As Carol gazed down at her cell's screen, her eyes went wide. She expected that it was her parents trying to contact her. But instead, it was the cell number of her young male bestie, Lincoln.

Casting a side glance at the time on her phone, Carol noticed that only forty minutes passed since they dropped the boy off. "He can't be done with the doctor already" Becky murmured, "you gals don't think something's happened...do ya?" The moment the idea was presented; the girls all nibbled at their lips, nails or shirt collars in worry.

"I'm sure our lil' buddy is fine" Carol said with mild confidence, "but just to be safe..." With that said, she pressed a green button on the phone and Lincoln appeared on the screen; waving at the group shyly. "Hiya, girls; thanks for answering...after a few rings" he said with a slight chuckle, "did I catch you at a bad time?"

The girls smiled at Lincoln warmly and waved back, all while sharing their own greetings. "We just left the store and were about to head in the car, when you called" Jordan stated, "is everything...okay?" Upon being asked this, Lincoln's smile slightly shifted into a frown and his eyes began nervously moving side-to-side.

"Truth is, gals...I'm in a bit of a pickle here" he said with a sigh, "I've been trying my best to open up to Dr. Lopez here...but I just keep choking up at certain points!" After that, Lincoln moved his phone to the side slightly and Dr. Lopez's face suddenly appeared on the camera screen. "Greetings, ladies; I'm Dr. Anastasia Lopez" the woman said formally, "am I right in guessing that you're all friends of my patient?"

After each of them nodded in response, Carol press her face to her phone worriedly and begged the doctor to explain what's been happening. "As Mr. Loud just described, he's been having...difficulty in trying to open up to me" Dr. Lopez explained, "so, I've suggested and he has agreed that you should come and help shed some light on some things." Upon hearing this news, the girls wasted no time in agreeing to the idea.

"Just hold tight for a little bit longer, Linky" Dana cried, "we'll be there as soon as we can." Before the line went dead, Dr. Lopez revealed a small condition on the girls visiting her office. "Because there are so many of you, I'm afraid...only a small number may be permitted into my office for the session" she stated, "my limit is four."

While half of the ladies didn't appear pleased with the doctor's terms, they understood the reasoning behind it. "In that case; me, Becky and Whitney will go in with you guys" Carol stated, "who wants to be the fourth?" Almost immediately, Dana quickly shot her hand up and begged Carol to let her come.

To say the least, Dr. Lopez was both shocked and yet rather pleased by this display. "Goodness, young lady; I've never seen one so eager to come into my office" she chuckled, "the boy must mean a great deal to you." Dana smiled slightly and admitted that Lincoln was her brother's friend first.

"Truth be told, I've only known him for a few days" Dana confessed, "but in that time, me and all my friends here have come to love Lincoln like family." The moment she said this, the other gals all sided with Dana with great passion in their voices; which caused Lincoln to tear up slightly. Dr. Lopez was also moved by the girls' enthusiasm and granted the foursome permission to join them in her office.

The four girls cheered softly at this news, while the others remained silent; trying their best to hide their dismay.

(Line Break)

As we cut back to the office building, the four girls all took their seats on the couch with Lincoln; while Dr. Lopez took _her_ seat in her chair. "Now, then; Lincoln tells me you lot are friends of his" she stated, "rather interesting to see High School girls _and _Grade School girls be associated with a young man like him." Carol chuckled softly and also admitted the irony of the situation seemed a little humorous.

"Truth be told, Doc; I've only known Lincoln through stories his sister, Lori would tell or from the pictures I've seen on her Social Media page" she admitted, "had me and a group of my friends not seen him walking the streets one Friday night, weeks ago; we all wouldn't be here today." Feeling curious, Dr. Lopez asked if any of the other girls Lincoln was with earlier ever associated themselves with him before.

"Some of our crew are girls Lincoln's age" Carol explained, "they each go to the Elementary School together." To help explain, she took out her phone and brought up a couple of group pictures featuring all or half of them together. Upon seeing the first photo, Lincoln blushed deeply; for it was their spa day photo op pic.

The second picture was of all of them together at Jordan's pool party. As she studied each of the snapshots, Dr. Lopez couldn't help but smile. "Looks like you've all been having a fun break so far" she stated, "is that one of the tubs at the Tranquil Springs Spa, by chance?"

Carol nodded enthusiastically and the girls immediately began to gush about their spa trip. "Lincoln also had loads of fun there" Whitney stated, "he even got a nice massage during our visit." The girl's words caused Lincoln's blush to become an even deeper shade of red.

"The other picture there; that was taken at his friend, Jordan's big pool party just recently" Becky explained, "those two moments were just a couple of things we all did together over break." As the stories continued, Dr. Lopez jotted down everything the girls had been telling her onto her notepad. "Since you ladies appear rather close to him, I'm wondering if you could answer something for me" she inquired, "what can you tell me about Lincoln's situation?"

Carol and her posse said nothing, at first; fearing that it wasn't their place to speak about such things. But then, Lincoln looked up at the girls and nodded silently at them; signaling that they had his permission to speak. With his blessing, the girls faced Dr. Lopez and sighed.

"You might want to get some coffee, Doc" Carol murmured, "because this might take a while." The therapist nodded slightly, walked over to her desk and pressed a small button on a telephone. "Susie, inform the other patients that I will be busy for a little longer" she stated, "and bring a pot of coffee in as well, please?"

After the receptionist gave her reply, Dr. Lopez took her seat and bade the girls to begin their story.

(Forty Minutes Later)

Almost an hour passed by since the girls and Lincoln began their story and as it neared its end, Dr. Lopez was beside herself. In the past; she dealt with patients who were chronic smokers, drinkers, spousal abusers even people with mental disorders. But compared to what she had been told just now, they were all small potatoes.

"I know, it all seems hard to believe" Lincoln mumbled sadly, "trust me, we've heard others say the same thing...but it's all true." The girls put special emphasis on the "bad luck" incident, the first use of the Sister Fight Protocol (that happened in Lincoln's presence,) and the many times the Loud Sisters threatened to physically harm him or rat him out to his parents. "As for the nightmares; they started happening before Break began" Carol explained, "they either involve his sisters coming after him or him facing punishment for 'doing his family wrong.'"

Once the girl finished, Dr. Lopez questioned Lincoln as to why he would have such fears. "Well, can you really blame me" he said exasperatedly, "almost every member of my family has either lost their jobs, their social standings, their hobbies and even their relationships...all because I couldn't keep my mouth shut!" After saying this, Lincoln suddenly fell off the couch and onto the floor.

After mildly recovering from the fall; Lincoln sat himself on the green carpeted floor, curled himself up into a little ball and cried. "It's all my fault, I ruined my family's lives" he sobbed loudly, "I deserve to go to Juvie, or jail...I even deserve to go to Hell for all this!" Upon hearing the last declaration, Becky and Dana quickly rushed to Lincoln's side; where they tried their best to comfort him.

"Don't talk like that, Lincoln; none of this is your fault" the former, Becky said firmly; "one way or another, someone would find out about all of this stuff!" Dana gave her friend a nod and mentioned how someone in his class might've noticed the sunburn, at least. "But...But still; thanks to all that's happening, my family lost everything" Lincoln said with a sniffle, "maybe my mom should've just given me up for adoption, I'm no good to them at all."

The moment these words were said, Dr. Lopez decided to steer the conversation on a more uplifting note. "I think there's been enough negativity in the air for one day" she stated, "this time, Lincoln...I'd like for you to do something else." After that; Dr. Lopez asked for Lincoln to, in his best possible way, to say something positive about each of his sisters.

At first, Lincoln struggled to comply with this request; mostly due to the fact that he hadn't been around his sisters for so long. As such, he had difficulty trying to remember his sisters' more positive aspects. "You can do this, Linky" whispered Dana, "just calm your mind and think back to happier times at your home."

Lincoln smiled at his friends, took a few deep breaths and searched his mind for any memories of his sisters' more positive traits. "Well...for one thing, Luna is an awesome musician" he said fondly, "she's also been among the few sisters I feel closest to; next to Leni, Lana, Lucy or Lily." Lincoln then went on to describe a time where Luna took him and Clyde to their first concert.

"First concerts _are_ special" sighed Dr. Lopez fondly, "mine was the Spice Girls, back in '98; got to sit so close to the stage, I could see the glitter on Baby Spice's face whenever the spotlight shined on her." After the group shared a bit of a laugh, Dr. Lopez urged Lincoln to think of something else to say. "Let's see...Lana is a whiz at repair jobs" Lincoln sighed, "she could fix up a plumbing situation faster than any plumber could...cheaper too."

Sensing they were now getting somewhere, Dr. Lopez asked for other compliments. "Well...Luan works her darndest to make others laugh, Lola is dedicated to pageant pizzazz, Lucy is quite a deep thinker (despite her Gothic mindset,) Lisa is _insanely_ smart for her age..." As his list began to dwindle, the ladies could all see small tears trickling down Lincoln's cheeks.

It didn't take long to realize that he was on the verge of another breakdown. Yet in spite of this, Lincoln still continued talking. When he reached his sister, Lori; however...that's when Lincoln was at his limit.

"Why, why did all this have to happen" Lincoln asked with a sad sniffle, "we all used to be so close and now, now...who knows what they think of me!" The girls all gasped in alarm, feeling utterly distressed by how venomously their friend was viewing himself. "It's okay, Linky; we're all here for you" Carol said while taking Lincoln into her arms, "we promise things will get better...somehow."

Without a second thought, the other four ladies each wrapped their arms around Lincoln and whispered to him soothingly. While this scene unfolded, Dr. Lopez was writing down the last bits of her notes. When she stopped, she saw that it was almost 2:30 in the PM.

"Regrettably, everyone; I'm afraid to say that our time is up" Dr. Lopez said woefully, "but I feel like we've made quite a bit of progress here today." Before the doctor brought an end to their session, Lincoln quickly brought up one final matter. "There's also the thing of this trial I have to go to against my family" he sighed, "I'm worried about what might happen; if they're found guilty, I'm probably screwed...if they're innocent, I'm _still _screwed!"

With this reveal, Dr. Lopez suddenly stopped herself from putting away her notes and found herself sitting back in the chair near the couch. "Could you elaborate on that, dear" she requested, "how would you be 'screwed,' as you put it regardless of whatever verdict is passed?" With a heavy heart; Lincoln explained how if his family was found guilty, they might all end up in jail...thus leaving him on his own.

If they were found innocent, however; not only would that mean that Lincoln would be tossed right back into the lion's den that is his old home. But after everything they've endured; his sisters would be so miffed, they'd spend the rest of his days making his life an even bigger Hell than before. "That _is_ a difficult scenario: Dr. Lopez admitted, "and I wish I could give you a simple answer on what to expect...but I don't have one."

Upon hearing her words, Lincoln sighed deeply and slumped down on the couch. Then, he suddenly felt the girls' arms around him again. "I'm afraid _we_ can't answer your concerns either, Linky" Dana murmured, "but what we _can_ promise...is that you won't be enduring all this alone."

Carol murmured in proud agreement with her friend and patted Lincoln on his shoulder. "That's right, pal; you're our friend and we _never_ leave friends behind" she decreed boldly, "if Lori and her sisters come at you again, we'll ward them off...right gals?" This caused Becky, Dana and Whitney to feel highly empowered; to the point where one of them came close to flipping over Dr. Lopez's desk.

After the girls calmed down, Dr. Lopez assured them and Lincoln that they could count on _her_ help as well; when the trial arrives. "In the meantime, I suggest you all go out and have another fun day like the ones in the pictures you showed me" she suggested, "it will help keep your minds off of things a little." Lincoln and the girls looked at one another in silence and then, a broad smile formed on each of their faces.

"That's an excellent idea, Doctor; thank you" Carol stated, "and thank you for taking the time to talk with all of us on this, Lincoln really needed to let out all his stress." Dr. Lopez smiles down at the young boy in question and said that she was happy to help. "If this kind of thing happens again, just give me a call" she said while handing Lincoln a card, "all that I ask is you don't call me at home unless something serious is happening."

Everyone shared a bit of a laugh at the statement and Carol assured Dr. Lopez that the number will only be used for big emergencies. "I just hope those kind of emergencies won't happen that often" Lincoln stated, "I'm anxious for a long, peaceful sleep; someday." With that said; everyone said their farewells to the doctor and left the room, while Dr. Lopez cried out her best wishes from her office doorway.

(Line Break)

As closing time came around, the doctor was finishing up on cleaning her desk off; when she came across the notes she took during her session with Lincoln. Upon looking them over again, Dr. Lopez saw something that caught her eye and she hurried over to her bookshelf. After skimming through each of the titles; she found the book she wanted, took it off the shelf and placed it on the desk.

Soon after that, Dr. Lopez began reading over specific pages from the book and looking back at her notes. _"Hmm...very interesting, indeed"_ she thought to her, _"if my research is correct, it could provide an interesting development for Mr. Loud's case."_ The moment the thought entered her mind, Dr. Lopez looked back to Lincoln's earlier words; specifically on how his family would behave afterwards (regardless of the verdict.)

"I need to help the boy any way I can" she declared, "no one should have to endure what he's gone through." With that said, Dr. Lopez called up her home to tell Robert she'd be working a little later than usual.

(AN: PHEW! This was a doozy of a chapter to write, mainly because I'm not familiar with psychology and needed to take my time with writing Lincoln's session with Dr. Lopez. In the end, I hope everything turned out okay for you guys. See you in the next chapter!)

(Second AN: Dr. Lopez's physical appearance is based off a loose description of her on the Loud House Wikia. While she has yet to appear on screen physically, the page described a moment where Clyde dressed like her. It's from that description that I was able to create _my_ version of her.

Until she actually appears in the show, it's one of the few times she'll ever appear in a story. So, I hope I described her well enough for you all.)

(Third AN: The scene where Lincoln is crying on the green carpet and Dana and Becky try to comfort him was my best way of creating a scene that embodied the fic's thumbnail image. It's also my way of fulfilling a request made by crafordbrian17. So, I hope I did the moment justice for you all.)


	22. Chapter Twenty-One: Dance Off

Dance Off

After leaving the parking lot, Lincoln brought the rest of the girls up to speed on how his appointment went. He told them of the tears he shed, all incidents that happened and just about every other skeleton in his closet that was exposed to Dr. Lopez. "At one point, I couldn't really think of what to say" Lincoln sighed, "so, I decided to call Carol's crew up and ask them to come in."

At the end of the story, the other gals gazed at Lincoln with looks of concern and empathy. "And...how do you feel now" questioned Cici, "did saying all that stuff calm you down a little?" For a moment or two, Lincoln simply scratched his chin in silence; which made the gals feel slightly concerned.

Then, a bright grin slowly began to form on the boy's face; which helped put the girls at ease. "I feel so much better...like a huge weight was lifted off my chest" Lincoln said with great joy, "I'm gonna have to thank Clyde for recommending Dr. Lopez to us, next time we see him." The gals all let out sighs of relief, realizing that Lincoln's earlier silence wasn't what they thought.

"Above all, Linc; we're all just super glad you're okay" Jordan stated, "when you called us, we thought you were in trouble." Upon being reminded of his earlier phone call, Lincoln blushed shyly with shame. "I'm so sorry for making you worry, girls" Lincoln murmured, "I tried to speak openly to Dr. Lopez about what's been going on...but I just kept choking up."

This revelation filled the girls with a great sense of concern. Wishing to alleviate Lincoln's pain; Dana patted Lincoln's forearm tenderly, while Phoebe and Stella gave him side-hugged him. "Dude, we're sorry we all pushed you so hard to go see the doctor" the former murmured, "we just couldn't stand seeing you keep all that pain inside and thought talking to someone might help lighten the load."

The other gals equally shared their apologies to Lincoln, also feeling regret for what Lincoln endured. After that; all was silent for a few seconds, until Lincoln suddenly started laughing. "Lincoln Loud, don't you know it's rude to laugh at people when they're down" Cristina said scoldingly, "especially when they're trying to apologize for something."

Upon hearing these words; while still having a bit of a chuckle in his voice, Lincoln quickly calmed himself down. "I'm sorry, ladies...but I'm not laughing at _you_" he assured, "I'm laughing at the irony of our situation." From there, Lincoln explained how he didn't have any regrets in going to see Dr. Lopez.

"Truth be told, I had been keeping all that pain and all those fears bottled up inside of me for ages" he confessed, "but once Carol and the others were in there with me for support and I started opening up...I never felt better." Upon hearing all this, the gals in question couldn't help but blush with pride at their lil' friend's words.

"It was like how it was at Gus', back when this whole thing started" he stated, "talking to her, just like I did with most of you back then, felt like a huge relief." While still bashfully denying their involvement, the gals all gushed adorably at Lincoln's praise. "We're always glad to help a friend, Linc" Stella decreed, "and that's what you are, our friend."

Suddenly, just as the car stopped at a red light; Carol's expression suddenly became stoic. "No, Stell; I don't think we can see him that way anymore" she said firmly, "after all that's happened, Lincoln isn't really so much a 'friend.'" Both Lincoln and the other eleven girls stared aghast at their "leader" and demanded an explanation.

"Hold up, now...let me finish" Carol insisted, "I say again, Lincoln isn't our friend...he's our _best_ friend." Upon hearing this, the girls began murmuring amongst themselves in relief; while Lincoln stared at her with a flattered expression. "More than that; it's like Dana said in the office, he's like...our brother and we're one big ol' family!"

The moment these words were said, Lincoln clenched his hand tightly over his heart and bit on his bottom lip; trying to suppress his tears. Upon seeing him on the verge of crying, Jordan asked if he was alright. "I'm fine, really...I'm fine" he said while lying through his teeth, "just still a little shook up from the therapy session is all."

After that, the light turned green and the car continued driving down the road. During much of said ride, the group sat together in a near uncomfortable silence; mainly due to everyone's concern over Lincoln's earlier demeanor. "So, uh...where do we go from here" questioned Stella, "anybody up for something to eat or maybe, go catch a movie together?"

The moment Stella presented her question, Carol's mind suddenly echoed with Lincoln's earlier words. _"It was like how it was at Gus', back when this whole thing started"_ the boy's voice echoed softly, _"talking to her, just like I did with most of you back then, felt like a huge relief."_ With these words in mind, Carol was struck by inspiration.

"I know exactly what to do, everybody" she said with a joyful giggle, "we're going on a little nostalgia trip!" Before anyone could question her idea; Carol turned up the gas slightly, spotted the next exit and made a quick turn. The soft cries of shock from Lincoln and the other gals rang out from inside the car, as Carol zoomed down the road.

"Girl, watch it with the zigzags" Becky grumbled, "you _do_ remember what your parents said about what would happen if their car got wrecked, right?" Carol gave her friend a nonchalant hand wave and assured everyone she was still driving at the proper speed limit. "Try telling that to my stomach" Lincoln moaned softly, "I'm still digesting the sausages I had for breakfast earlier!"

While giving the boy a mildly firm warning about "ralphing" in the car, Carol continued driving along the road. "Where exactly are we headed, Carol" mumbled Dana, "this doesn't look like the way back to the neighborhood." While keeping her eyes on the road, Carol chuckled and said it was a surprise.

"But before we get there, I need y'all to close your eyes" she instructed, "and that means you too, Linky." At first, everyone hesitated with the request. But almost a split second later, Carol assured everyone that they would happily welcome the surprise she had in mind.

Despite having a sliver of doubt lingering inside of them, Lincoln and the rest of the gals nodded slightly and closed their eyes tight. With a sly giggle in her throat, Carol put the pedal to the metal and drove on.

(Line Break)

In time, the Gal Pals' car reached its destination and slowly eased into an open space in the parking lot. "We're here, everybody" Carol called out suddenly, "but you have to wait until you leave the car in order to see my surprise." The group grumbled softly with impatience but decided to comply with their "leader's" request, nonetheless.

After leaving the driver's seat, Carol opened the side door of the car and began helping everyone out one by one. "Okay, I'm guessing we're out of the car" Lincoln murmured with uncertainty, "can I open my eyes yet?" The others echoed Lincoln's words, equally eager to see what was in store for them.

"Alright, I suppose I've kept you all waiting long enough" Carol said with a small giggle, "you may open them right...NOW!" Slowly but surely, everyone opened their eyes to find themselves standing before a familiar sight; Gus' Games and Grub. "Gus'...you got us all hyped up for this" grumbled Dana, "what's so special about _this_ place?"

Carol chose to ignore her friend's comment...for the moment, mainly because she had only just recently joined the crew on their exploits. So, because Dana was a "newbie" of sorts; Carol decided to explain her reasoning for bringing everyone to Gus'. "You see, this is the place where all this first began" she said, "earlier this month; Whit, Becky and I found Lincoln wandering the streets on a Friday night."

It was here that Carol brought up the reason why their male friend was out at night, to escape the chaos happening at home. "After that; we dined on some snackage, played some games and Lincoln got to share his story with us" Becky added, "after that, we all became fast friends." Dana couldn't help but sigh wistfully at her friends' story, while inwardly wishing she had been there on that day.

"If this place isn't your cup of tea, we can find something else to do" Jordan offered, "maybe a walk in the park or head down to the Burnt Bean?" Dana considered the ideas but happily accepted going into Gus' instead. "It's been ages since Chaz and I last went in here" she stated, "plus...for some reason; when I first joined up with you guys, I had the _weirdest_ craving for Garlic Knots."

The moment Dana said this, several of the girls began saying the same thing. "Well, let's go see if they've got some fresh out of the oven yet" Lincoln exclaimed, "who's with me?!" After giving a loud cry of "WE ARE," Lincoln and his gal pals made a beeline for the front door.

(Line Break)

The atmosphere inside of Gus' was abuzz with activity. The room echoed with electronic sounds, patrons were laughing merrily in their booths and the smell of freshly baked pizza and garlic knots filled the air around them. Meanwhile, Lincoln and several of the gals wasted no time heading for the arcade area; delving into whatever one that tickled their fancy.

Cici and Jordan played a round of air hockey against each other, Christina tried to claim a plushie from one of the crane games. Kat and Stella indulged in an anime-style fighting game, Phoebe tried her hand at a safari-style driving game (where the player drove a jeep through a jungle and took pictures of wildlife) and Haiku simply stood on the sidelines; writing poems on the different sights and sounds around her. Meanwhile, Carol and her posse watched them all from their booth.

As for Lincoln; he could be seen wandering about, browsing each of the games to see if anyone of them tickled his fancy. Then, after almost a minute of walking; he found something that caught his eye. Standing before him was a large dance battle arcade machine.

Beneath both of the game screens were large stereo speakers, two large pads (both bearing brightly colored arrow markings) were set in front of the machine and the game logo of _"Dance Battle"_ pulsated on the screen to the beat of a song. Lincoln couldn't help but smile at the sight of this game, remembering all the fun he had with it.

Then, Lincoln suddenly got an idea and quickly hurried over to some of the girls. "I'm gonna try my hand at _Dance Battle_ for spell, maybe work up an appetite for our meal" he stated, "anyone care to join me?" For a moment, some of the ladies hesitated at answering to the request.

On one hand, some of them _loved_ the idea of dancing and would often leap at any opportunity to do so. But on the other hand, there were those among the group who felt...self-conscious about dancing in public places and didn't know if they wanted to risk embarrassing themselves. "Thanks for the offer, Linky" Dana said with a mildly cheerful tone, "but...I think we'll hang back for now and watch."

Lincoln smiled at the high school gals, gave a polite shrug and went back to the game; while adding that the offer to dance was still open, if anyone was interested. After placing his tokens into the slot, the game started up and Lincoln began looking around for any songs worth dancing to. First, he came across a Boyz Will Be Boyz song...but decided to give it a pass, thinking that it wasn't quite his style.

Then, he passed by a song by a group called 12 is Midnight; a KPop group that Ronnie Anne once told him about on one of their past phone chats. _"She said the band has some really good music"_ Lincoln considered, _"I might play their song later; if I have the energy, that is."_ After that, he resumed his search to find the right song to dance to.

Then, as Lincoln stopped for a moment to rest his right foot from tapping it too much; a soft techno beat rang through his ears. He looked back at the screen and saw that the selection cursor rested upon an electronic dance song called Stamp on the Ground. As Lincoln listened to the beat, he couldn't help but bob his head a little to it.

"Yes, this is _exactly_ what I was looking for" he decreed while selecting the song, "show me what you got!" As the song started up, the electronic notes began to echo around the room; attracting the attention of many patrons. At the same time, the music suddenly got the attention of the Gal Pals, resulting in them leaving whatever they were originally doing behind (for the moment.)

(What follows next is a brief montage of, Lincoln, all the Gal Pals and other familiar faces either joining Lincoln on his session at the machine, going at the game solo or taking on each other in VS. Mode)

As the words "stamp on the ground" and "move it all around" play faintly through the game speakers, other patrons soon begin approaching the game in droves. Amongst all these people are the Gal Pals, who are both eager and curious to see what is happening. When they arrive, they find Lincoln at the Dance Battle game; dancing up a storm.

_Stamp on the ground_

_Jump, jump, jump, jump_

_Moving all around_

_Tep tep da dow_

_Stamp on the ground_

_Jump, jump, jump, jump_

_Moving all around_

_We're __jumping__ all around_

(As the chorus does the "dup, dup, dup" part of the song, the next few scenes shows several other people at the game. These include Jordan preparing to try it out, Trent giving Lance a "you and me" gesture, Cristina nervously tapping her feet on the arrows, Sandra Belle almost tripping over herself, Carol psyching herself up, the Yates children taking their places and Lincoln's crew guy pals appearing)

_(Clyde lip-syncing)  
_

_Jumping all around_

_(Zach)_

_Drop the beat_

_(Lincoln and Clyde are seen dancing together with ease, in the next in-between scene. This is followed by a scene featuring Carol and her whole crew dancing up a storm. Next, Rusty is seen struggling with trying to keep up with the arrows, followed by Chaz and Dana dancing together; before they smile at each other and mimic the words "Jumping all around.)_

_(The next scene shows Paige showing off some graceful moves, before ending her display with softly flicking her hair back with her hand. In response, Stella shows off more flexible dance moves; complete with bending backwards to touch the arrows by hand)_

_(the next scene shows Lance and Trent becoming too competitive against each other during their game, resulting in the former punching the latter boy in head and knocking him out. As Lance tries to dance solo with confidence, Trent suddenly rushes in and tackles him)_

_(Joey) _

_We're __sending__ out_

_(Becky)  
_

_WHOO!_

_(Joey)_

_an invitation_

_To __everyone__ in __every__ nation_

_(Liam is seen dancing on the mat, square-dance style, in the next scene)_

_But don't _

_sleep__ get on the run_

_Stop thinkin' and have some fun!_

_(Chandler dances in the next scene)  
_

_Stamp on the ground_

_(Polly Pain does backflips, during her scene)_

_Jump, jump, jump, jump_

_(Sam watches her brother, Simon dance)  
_

_Moving all around_

_(Coach Pacoski waving a yellow flag)  
_

_Tep tep da dow_

_(Jordan's friend, Mollie joins the dance)_

_Stamp on the ground_

_(the other members of the Junior Morticians Club tap their feet to the arrows __unenthusiastically)_

_Jump, jump, jump, jump_

_(Tabby does an air guitar solo)_

_Moving all around_

_(Lincoln takes a water break)_

_We're __jumping__ all around_

_(Paige and Becky are seen dancing together, with Becky giving some air punches)_

_Stamp on the ground  
_

_(Rusty is seen making pointing gestures and winking at any female passersby)_

_Jump, jump, jump, jump  
_

_(Clyde is seen dancing slightly before he takes a moment to use his inhaler)_

_Moving all around_

_Tep tep da dow_

_(Chaz is going up against Cici, the latter hitting the arrows on her tiptoes like a ballerina)  
_

_Stamp on the ground_

_Jump, jump, jump, jump_

_(the next scene shows two of Luna's bandmates, George and Ruth dancing together. As the latter dancer giggles with joy at her skills, George gives a "nuts to this" hand wave and prepares to leave...only to be brought back; when Ruth pulls on his jacket)_

_Moving all around_

_We're __jumping__ all around_

_(the next scenes show the following moments: Rocky Spokes upstaging his brother, Rusty; several High School kids from a Mime Class trying to dance to the song while miming, Whitney doing a ballerina twirl, causing Carol to shake her head and a scene where Rusty tries to "reclaim his glory" while Rocky stand off at the side_

_Düp düp düp düp düp_

_Drop the beat_

_(Clyde while looking at a picture of Lori with a forlorn look) _

_So come and join our love foundation_

_(Chandler tries to keep up with the beat but fails. Lance and Trent try to help him up...but while blushing with embarrassment, Chandler whispers "back off" softly)_

_Go feel the heat, the __sweet__ vibration_

_(Lincoln is seen showing his dance moves solo. When the lyrics "and we want to go out tonight" play, he casts a sly wink at the Gal Pals watching him; causing the ones in _his _grade to blush slightly)_

_'Cause we are _

_about__ to ignite_

_And we __wanna__ go out tonight!_

_(During the instrumental, several members of both Lincoln's Guy Pals and Gal Pals are seen showing off against one another; earning occasional bows of respect or a thumb's up)_

_(The first half of the next scene shows Phoebe doing some insanely limber dance moves, while the second half is completed by Stella)  
_

_Stamp on the ground_

_Jump, jump, jump, jump_

_Moving all around_

_Tep tep da dow_

_(Lynn's teammate, Margot slaps her face three times, before backflipping on the arrow keys while keeping in sync with the "jump jump jump jump" part of the lyric)  
_

_Stamp on the ground_

_Jump, jump, jump, jump_

_(Cristina finally cuts loose and not only starts publicly dancing. But before her turn ends, she head bangs with great fervor)_

_Moving all around_

_We're __jumping__ all around_

_(On one scene during the next instrumental, Lincoln and Jordan are dancing against each other. Then, Jordan almost falls over, until Lincoln catches her in his arms in a sort of dipped position. Realizing the situation they're in, both blush deeply and quickly pull away)_

_(The next scene shows Haiku casting curious glances at the game; as if fighting the urge to join in)_

_(the third scene shows Sandra Belle making another attempt to dance. But her shapely form makes her feel too "bottom heavy" and she almost slips several times.)_

_(the fourth scene, before the next "jumping all around" shows onlookers recording the displays on their phones)_

_Jumping all around_

_Drop the beat_

_(During the final instrumental, one last round of dancers is seen strutting their stuff. Among the dancers are Silas from the Junior Morticians Club, Whitney, a boy named Fransisco whom Lynn Loud Jr. has feelings for and the final dance shows Lincoln and Haiku doing so while holding hands. By the end, Haiku holds up the hem of her dress slightly while performing the last few seconds of the song on her own)_

_(The final "Jumping All Around" fades out into echoes. After the song ends, Haiku curtsies to her friends and Lincoln shares a high five with his guy pals; before leaping into Carol and Whitney's arms for a big victory hug.)_

(AN: I think this is a good spot to end things, for now. But in any case, I hope you all enjoy the little dance montage with Lincoln and the Gal Pals, as well as all the different cameos that appeared. See y'all next time and Happy *Belated* 4th of July!)

(Second AN: The band name 12 is Midnight is a reference from the Casagrandes arc of Loud House episode. It's a KPop band that both Ronnie Anne and her new BFF, Sid Chang, are huge fans of. To be honest, it all reminds me of Lori and the band _she _loves, Boyz Will Be Boyz.)

(Third AN: The dance off montage is based on an animated music video of the ItaloBrothers song Stamp on the Ground. Said video was made by DeviantArt user, Zarla; I recommend watching that, while reading the dance off scene in the chapter.)


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two: Lightening the Load

Lightening the Load

Tired, breathless, dripping with sweat...yet still laughing joyously; Lincoln and the Gal Pals each took their seats at their respective booths for some much needed R&R. "That...was...the best...workout...I've...ever...had" gasped Becky between breaths, "we really...kicked it out there, didn't we?" The group, though still feeling exhausted, all cheered softly with delight.

Amongst the murmurs of praise and words of adulation, everyone gave an extra dose of it to Haiku; who was still recovering from the rush of dancing. "I don't know why that happened" murmured Haiku, "the music...it just took over me and I couldn't resist." Lincoln let out a soft chuckle at his friend's statement, before confessing that the same thing happened to _him. _

"When I was 8, there was this old techno song that always used to put a spell on me" he said with a chuckle, "I once heard it in a supermarket and danced across the aisle like Tom Cruise in that one movie." The gals couldn't help but giggle at Lincoln's story, thinking he was just too adorable. Then, the laughter suddenly stopped; when some of the other dancers passed by them.

The first was Kat's posse of Chandler, Lance and Trent; who all looked at her with proud smiles. "That was awesome" Chandler said with a heaving sigh of exhaustion, "I've never danced that hard in a long time." Kat giggled softly and looked over at Lincoln, proclaiming that his moves must've put a "spell" on everyone.

"Never realized you were such a maniac on the dance floor, Lincoln" Trent said with a smile, "that's pretty cool." Upon hearing the compliment, Lincoln almost choked on his drink. After quickly recovering, he cleaned himself off and thanked the popular boy.

"I'm happy you liked my moves" he said with a shy chuckle, "guess all my practicing really paid off." Chandler and his crew chuckled heartily at Lincoln and, much to the boy's surprise, exchanged some friendly high fives with him; before leaving the pizzeria. After what felt like an eternity of silence; Clyde, Liam, Rusty and Zach all crowded Lincoln slightly and began chatting with him in excited voices.

"Dude...Chandler and his friends just _complimented_ you" gasped Clyde with a delighted tone, "_and_ they all gave you high fives!" Kat couldn't help but smile, happy to see her old pal (Chandler) show friendly vibes to her new pal (Lincoln.) The next to pass them was a face that Lincoln immediately recognized; Simon Sharp, the young Ace Savvy fan who wanted him to autograph his comic.

"Here he is, Sammy; the dude who signed my comic" he said with glee, "I told ya he was awesome!" Before Lincoln could speak a word, he was suddenly approached by a young blonde girl with a teal streak in her hair. In the blink of an eye, Lincoln immediately recognized who the girl was; Sam Sharp, Luna's girlfriend.

_"I had no idea Sam had a little brother"_ Lincoln thought in surprise, _"guess she and Luna _do _have something in common after all."_ Suddenly, Lincoln was snapped out of his thoughts by Sam; whose fingers were snapping softly just inches away from his face. "Kinda spaced out on us, dude" the girl chuckled, "I was saying thanks for signing my bro's book."

When he found his voice again, Lincoln chuckled softly and said he was happy to do so for him. "To tell you the truth, Luna never told me you had a brother" he stated, "wonder if you guys get along better than we do?" Despite his words being a sort of small joke at his expense, Lincoln was surprised to see Sam frowning at the mention of his relationship with Luna.

Instantly, he thought he had accidentally said something wrong and quickly apologized for it. "Nah, lil' dude; you're okay" Sam said reassuringly, "I just...me and Lunes are going through a bit of a rough spell and haven't seen much of each other lately." They say that when one delivers a shocking piece of news, they call it a "bombshell."

In the case of _Sam's_ news, however; this reveal was so big, the bombshell felt like the size of a nuclear warhead that rocked Lincoln to his very core. "Wait...so, you two...broke up...because of _me_" Lincoln murmured in disbelief, "I...I'm sorry that happened to you guys, I should've kept quiet." The moment he said this; Lincoln was suddenly approached by Beatrix Yates, a member of the...oddly positive Yates Family.

"Now, young man; that's no way to talk about yourself" she said firmly, her usual perky demeanor becoming slightly firm; "all you did was share your burden through a conversation with your friends...What happened afterwards was not of your doing." Despite the sincerity of the girl's words, Lincoln still felt slightly burdened with guilt. "But if I never said anything, I'd still be at home and my family's lives would all still be going on like normal" Lincoln murmured, "or at least, normal by _my_ family's standards."

In some small way; girls like Jordan, Stella, Haiku and Cristina couldn't help but agree with Lincoln. If things were different and Lincoln chose to keep his troubles inside, when they all first hung out together; things would be progressing like nothing ever happened. But then; Carol was quick to point out that even _if_ Lincoln held his tongue, there would be other ways people would learn something was amiss.

"She's right...the nightmares, the severe sunburn you had, the emotional stress" Jordan listed off, "one way or another, people _would've_ noticed that about you and would start asking questions." After hearing so many opinions on his situation, Lincoln began to feel a tad better. "But what about my family's jobs, their hobbies...and their relationships" he blurted out suddenly, "if I didn't say anything, they'd still have all that stuff."

Upon hearing this bit of info, everyone sat in silence; unsure of how to respond. But then, Sam decided to offer up a piece of news that would possibly help lighten the mood. "For what it's worth; before she was released, Luna gave me a call from the jail" she murmured softly, "at first, I came close to hanging up...but she told me something that managed to help me stay my hand."

Curious, Lincoln looked up and asked Sam what it was that Luna told her. "First off, she regrets letting the whole stupid fight go on for so long" the blonde sighed, "she also hates herself for even getting roped into it." The last part of Sam's news took Lincoln by surprise and asked if Luna told her anything else.

"Just that she wanted me to pass a message on to you" Sam murmured, "she misses you, she misses hanging with you at home and hopes that soon...everything will be normal again." Though she didn't show it on the outside; in her heart, Sam was especially hopeful in the last part of Luna's message. Meanwhile, Lincoln was taking a moment to process what the teen just told him.

While doing so, his mind backtracked through his memories; up until the time he was at the park with everyone at the cookout. After pushing aside the fight incident, he looked back at the moment where both his parents and half of his sisters were all in tears. Back then, he presumed that it was all nothing but a ploy to manipulate him into coming back to them.

He lost count of the many times Lola or Lori did such a thing, in the past...but for different reasons. However, with everything that has come to pass; Lincoln soon realized the truth. His family _did_ miss him after all and wanted him to come home. _"Guess I should've listened to the girls at the park when I did, way back when" _he thought regretfully, _"I feel like such an idiot for saying what I did to them that day."_

"Thanks for telling me Luna's message, Sam" Lincoln said gratefully, "I hope to see her again soon as well...and that you two will be back together again." Sam smiled warmly at Lincoln, appreciating how much he wanted her and Luna to be happy again. She thanked him for all this by playfully ruffling Lincoln's hair, which took him slightly by surprise.

After she stopped, Sam and Simon said their goodbyes and left the pizzeria. But not before Lincoln exchanged a quick high five with the both of them. "Hope you have a safe trip home, guys" he exclaimed, as they stepped out the door; "and thanks for the talk, Sam; it meant a lot."

As the trio shared one final goodbye, the Junior Morticians Club team suddenly appeared behind him. "That was...actually a lot of fun" Boris murmured with a faint smile, "I'm not saying I would do it often...but it was still quite fun." After Lincoln recovered from his shock over the group suddenly appearing behind him, he smiled and shook their hands in gratitude.

"Listen...Haiku told me you guys held a meeting together, a week or so ago" he murmured, "was it about...my sister, Lucy; by chance?" In an instant, the smiles faded from the team of Goths' faces; which made Lincoln feel rather uneasy. "Oh...dang it" he mumbled, "listen, I want to...apologize for whatever did to bring you guys into kicking her out of the club."

The group stared blankly for a few seconds; afterwards, Persephone (the eldest female of the group) folded up her parasol and patted Lincoln lightly on his shoulder. "We appreciate you wanting to take responsibility for what has happened, former Brother of the Coffin" she said with a small lisp (due to her braces,) "but Haiku told us she could sense a dark aura of rage emanating from Lucy for some time." Lincoln couldn't help but shiver fearfully at her words.

"Because of this news, Haiku felt that it was wise to distance Lucy from our circle until further notice" a tall boy in a lab coat added, "we did not wish for such negative energies to wash over _us _as well." Despite the group's words, Lincoln confessed felt that he was still to blame for it all happening. "I just...I'm sorry my big mouth cost you guys a group member" he said with a sigh, "I hope you guys will be able to make amends, one day."

Despite their usual Gothic personalities; the Junior Morticians Club smiled at Lincoln, thanked him for his concern and wished him well. After they leave, Mollie congratulates Lincoln on his skills. "Back at the pool party, I thought I saw all your tricks" she said with a chuckle, "but somehow...you proved me wrong!"

This led to her and Lincoln sharing a hearty laugh together, before they exchanged a quick high five. "Keep your nose, clean; maniac" Mollie stated, "and take good care of Jordan for me while she's with ya." This statement caused the aforementioned girl to blush in embarrassment. "I don't need looking after, ya goofball" Jordan cried while puffing out her cheeks, "I can look after myself!"

After having another good laugh, Lincoln shares a quick high five with Mollie before she heads for the door. After that, he is suddenly hugged from behind by Sandra Belle; who thanks him for starting up such a wild dance off. "I may have tripped over myself a few times" she admitted with a tone of shame in her voice, "but it was all just so much fun."

It took a while for Lincoln to recover from both the surprise of her sudden arrival and the hug she was giving him. But once he did, he thanked the woman for her kind words and wished her well. "I'm just so overjoyed to see you so happy today" Sandra said with delight, "I know times have been tough...but make sure to appreciate moments like this that help ease the pain."

Upon taking the woman's words to heart, Lincoln suddenly began to feel more at peace. With a smile on his face, he thanked her for the advice and wished her well. "Thank you so much, sweetie" Sandra said gratefully, "be seeing you!"

After finishing her statement, she blew Lincoln a kiss off of two her fingers and left the building. One by one, everyone who joined Lincoln and the Gal Pals in the dance off each either shared their appreciation for giving them a good time or wished him well in his future. The combination of these things from everyone helped Lincoln feel more at ease, both emotionally and mentally.

He was especially pleased that some of the people didn't believe his sisters were beyond redemption or reconciliation. So, he took some comfort in this turn of events. By letting himself have fun at the game and sharing his emotional load with others, Lincoln was starting to feel more like himself again.

Suddenly his thoughts were disrupted by a loud gurgling coming from somewhere close by. "Did you guys hear that" Lincoln cried out in surprise, "sounds like Virginia got away from Liam again." Upon hearing his words, the gals suddenly burst out laughing.

"Lincoln, that was no pig growling; it's your belly" Jordan stated, "not to mention ours as well." Not long after she said this, all ten of the Gal Pals' bellies suddenly bellowed loudly as well. "Heh-heh...guess all that dancing worked up our appetites" Phoebe chuckled shyly, "who's ready for a good meal?!"

Without hesitation, Lincoln and the rest of the gals cried out in agreement. "Waitress; we'd like three large pies, three baskets of garlic knots and three pitchers of your best root beer for our tables" Lincoln and Carol cried out in unison, which caught the attention of a nearby waitress. As the crew began thinking up toppings for their pies, Lincoln turned towards the camera to address the viewer.

"This has been quite a day, guys" he chuckled, "not only did my friends and I have an awesome time dancing...but everyone talking to me earlier really helped put my mind and heart at ease." Lincoln then went on to say that thanks to nearly everyone's support, he was ready to face whatever challenges that might lie ahead. "I just hope that when the day of the trial arrives, my family and I will make it through in one piece" Lincoln murmured, "but something tells me the biggest challenges have yet to come."

(AN: What sort of challenges await Lincoln and his family in the future? What will happen during the trial and will Lincoln be able to keep his head on straight, when the moment arrives? Tune in next time, to find out.)

(Second AN: Sorry if this chapter feels shorter compared to the others. This is more of a relaxation chapter, a period in the story where Lincoln would shed off some of his burdens of anxiety *at least a little.* The big moments will come, very soon and I hope you will all be ready)


	24. Chapter Twenty-Three: Calls and Convos

Calls and Conversations

The scene opens with a lone vehicle riding down the open road. All seems quite peaceful and quiet, at first...until the sounds of loud belching echoed through the skies. After the belching fades, a van passes by (not to be confused with Vanzilla;) where we find our young team of friends patting their bellies with satisfaction.

"Boy, those garlic knots are good" Cici sighed with delight, "almost as good as they were the last time we were at Gus'." Lincoln and the others all agreed with their friend and began to chat idly amongst themselves. The whole time this was happening, Lincoln sat in his seat and smiled silently out the window.

Thus far, his Spring Break had been (as Luna would put it) "totally rockin'." He had an amazing trip to Dairy Land, managed to win at one of the games, had many memorable moments at the Ace Savvy Convention, wrote and read a poem aloud for the first time (that he can recall,) actually did well at mini golf (not to mention getting into a multi-way tie with some of his friends,) had loads of fun at Jordan's (both at the pool party and sleepover) and their second visit to Gus' was spectacular. Truly, Lincoln was the happiest he'd ever felt.

But through all these fun times, there were still moments where a figurative storm cloud loomed over his head; his family's situation. Were they all still okay, did anything happen to his parents and most of all, what was the current situation with Lori and Lynn Jr. like? This fear/worry remained with him since he first started hanging with the girls.

But mere moments ago, the talks he had with both the ladies and some friends/acquaintances they saw in the arcade helped relieve Lincoln of his burden (at least, slightly.) Yet, even with them helping him out; the fear still lingered inside of Lincoln and until everything was laid out on the table at court...he would continue to worry. Then, much to everyone's surprise; the quiet atmosphere was suddenly disrupted by a beeping ringtone.

"Must be Mom and Dad calling for me" Carol murmured with a chuckle, "let me just park someplace quick so that I can answer it." Everyone nodded in agreement and Lincoln kept watch for any approaching spots to stop the van at. "Hey, I think I see a rest stop ahead" he called out seconds later, "let's park there!"

With that said, Carol gently eased the vehicle into a parking space and pressed the phone button on the dashboard. Within moments, Mr. Pingrey's voice rang out softly on the other end (as Carol predicted) and asked if everyone's okay. "We're all fine, Sir" Whitney interjected, "just a little tired from playing a dancing game at Gus' but otherwise, we're good."

Mrs. Pingrey's voice suddenly chuckled in the background, before she softly murmured how they all must've had quite a bit of fun. "We did and we're just on our way home" Carol assured, "is there anything you need, before we arrive?" After that, there was a sudden silence on the other end; which made the others feel confused.

Then, they could hear the two adults whispering to one another about something. "I can't hear anything" Phoebe grumbled softly, "does anyone have any idea what they're saying?" Carol shushed the young shutterbug quietly and turned her attention back to the speaker, also anxious to know what her parents were doing.

Then, the whispering suddenly stopped and all became quiet again. After almost another fifteen seconds of waiting, everyone could hear Mr. Pingrey clearing his throat softly on the other line. _"Actually, honey...there _is_ something you can do, before you get home"_ he said stoically, _"could you and your friends help escort everyone to Lincoln's home for a few moments?"_

Quite understandably, this request caused everyone in the van to explode into a frenzy of distressed chatter. Lincoln was especially concerned with Mr. Pingrey's request. "With all due respect, Sir; why do you want us to stop there" he asked inquisitively, "is there any particular reason I need to go to my house?"

Somehow, the elder Pingreys could sense the uneasiness in Lincoln's voice and assured him nothing was amiss. _"It is just...while you were all away, we received a most unusual phone call"_ murmured Mrs. Pingrey, _"it was from Officer Schoffner and she said your family wished to see you at home as soon as you were able...just for a while."_ When everyone asked about the reason for the call, the Pingreys chose not to tell them.

_ "We mean no disrespect, girls" _Mrs. Pingrey said kindly_ "but Officer Schoffner herself said that this is a matter for Lincoln alone to deal with." _Despite this bit of information, everyone still felt rather skeptical about the matter. Finally, Mr. Pingrey revealed the most crucial reason for the summons; Lincoln's sisters.

_"I trust you all already know about the family's release from prison, yes" _he asked,_ "that is to say, _most_ of the family was released." _Everyone softly murmured to each other in reply, still remembering the news broadcast from a night or so ago quite vividly. _"After their release, Lincoln's parents and the remaining half of his sisters were brought back to their home" _Mr. Pingrey explained, _"of course...this meant they would be under house arrest, until the day of the trial."_

At one point in his story, Mr. Pingrey revealed how much they begged Officer Schoffner to let them see Lincoln...just once. _"Your parents have been especially eager to see you, my boy"_ he stated, _"they must've missed you terribly, during their incarceration."_ Upon hearing this reveal, Lincoln found himself at a crossroads.

On one hand, he felt rather afraid about seeing his sisters and parents; due to everything that had happened. But on the other hand; he knew that before the trial, he _had_ to clear the air between them...at least a little. So, in the end; Lincoln agreed to answer the request.

_"That's very kind of you, Lincoln"_ Mrs. Pingrey said with approval, _"I'll inform Officer Schoffner you're on your way."_ After that; everyone said their goodbyes, Carol hung up the phone and started up the van. Then, as she left the rest stop parking lot; the vehicle made a beeline straight for the Loud House.

(Line Break)

Ten minutes later, the van arrived at the Loud Residence and Lincoln slid open the door; ready to exit. "Be careful in there, Linc" Jordan murmured worriedly, "I know you can handle yourself in some situations but still..." In an instant, Jordan found herself trailing off slightly; worried about what might happen in the building.

Upon sensing her concern; Lincoln took hold of her hands, stroked them reassuringly and smiled. "I'll be fine, Jordan; really" he said in a hushed yet reassuring voice, "if what Mr. Pingrey said is true; my family will all have trackers on them that will alert the police, if anything goes wrong in there." Comforted by his words, Jordan and half of the girls hugged Lincoln lovingly; wishing him luck.

"We'll be right out here; should you need us, Linky" Dana said sweetly, "and if you can't use your cellphone in there...just give a shout and we'll come running in." Lincoln chuckled lightly at her statement, never doubting that they probably _would_ do such a thing and proceeded towards the front door. There, he was greeted by a pair of officers; who proceeded to search him over thoroughly.

"So sorry we have to do this to you, young man" said the policeman, "but we need to make sure you're not sneaking in anything your family could use to do anyone harm." Lincoln nodded in understanding, raised his arms into the air and gestured for the officers to proceed. When they saw he had nothing hazardous, lethal or anything posing as an escape tool on hand; the two officers called out "all clear" in unison and ushered Lincoln inside.

Upon entering, Lincoln was surprised to see that the whole place was...strangely quiet. As he cautiously entered the building, Lincoln suddenly found himself tackled to the ground by something small. Before he could protest or cry out in alarm, his cheeks were then assaulted by a flurry of tongue kisses.

In that moment, Lincoln suddenly realized what was happening; he was being greeted by one of the family pets, Charles. Within seconds, he recovered enough to pick up the little dog in his arms and cradled him lovingly. "Good to see you, boy" chuckled Lincoln merrily, "I missed you and the gang so much!"

Upon mentioning "the gang;" a cat, a canary and a hamster inside of its ball came rushing towards him. Once more, Lincoln found himself tackled onto the floor and was also assaulted by flurries of cheek kisses from Charles and Cliff or nuzzles from Walt and Geo. But seconds later, Lincoln suddenly realized they were making too much noise and feared that the family would be alerted to his arrival.

As he got back onto his feet and petted the pets more quietly, Lincoln's mind was raging with thoughts. _"You're okay, dude...everything is okay" _he thought frantically_ "you're just going to have a little chat with the family in your living room...just days after they've been released from jail...after your big mouth helped put them here to begin with."_ The moment his mind started slipping into paranoia, Lincoln gave himself a swift (and moderately painful) slap in the face.)

After nursing his cheek for a second, Lincoln took a seat on the couch and did his best to remain calm. "Just chill, Lincoln" he muttered softly, "it'll be okay, they're family...they won't bite." No sooner had he said this, the doors upstairs suddenly opened up and Lincoln could see the silhouettes of his family standing at the top of the stairs; each of them staring down at him.

Though they were all cloaked in shadow, Lincoln could see a sort of redness in all their eyes; the same redness he saw on them during the news report from days ago. Upon closer inspection; he could also see the silhouettes of Lana, Lola, Luna and even Leni heaving slightly. In Lincoln's mind, this coupled with the red eye thing brought only one idea to his mind; that they were _beyond_ miffed with him.

"It's okay...you're okay" Lincoln whispered to himself, "just stand your ground and be strong." Then, without warning; the twins suddenly rushed down the steps while shrieking loudly. Not only did this startle Lincoln, the noises also slightly alarmed the girls outside.

As Lana and Lola continued their charge, Lincoln whimpered fearfully and closed his eyes; expecting a beating of some kind. But then, much to his surprise; he suddenly heard the sounds of wild sobbing and crying. Ever so cautiously, Lincoln opened his eyes to see what was going on.

Much to his surprise, he saw his little sisters hugging at his legs tightly and nuzzling their cheeks up against his pants. "LINCOLN, YOU CAME" wailed Lana in both joy and sadness, "SOMEHOW...I KNEW YOU WOULD, I JUST KNEW IT!" After that, Lola lightly pushed her sister aside and hugged Lincoln slightly around both ankles; almost causing him to lose balance.

Once he recovered, Lincoln knelt down slightly and tried to get a good look at his little sisters. He let out a soft gasp of shock, upon looking their current states more closely. Lana not only looked tired, her house clothes appeared dirty from the many days she hadn't worn them or had them cleaned and her cheeks were coated with tear stains.

Lola didn't look any better herself, much to Lincoln's dismay. Like her twin; Lola's dress also appeared dirty from not being worn/cleaned for so long and her tiara appeared crooked atop her head. Her eyes were bloodshot, her hair was disheveled and tear stains also coated _her_ cheeks; which were accentuated by her running mascara.

Lincoln's heart ached, when he saw them like this. "Oh, my gosh; guys" he gasped loudly, "you look terrible...no offense." Lola simply waved off the statement nonchalantly, stating that her mind had been too frazzled to think about her beauty lately. "We're just so happy to see you, Linky" she cried softly, "I mean...I know we parted on bad terms, long ago. But it's still good to see _one_ possibly friendly face."

Lincoln smiled softly at the young blond and gently caressed his hand through her hair. Not long after; the rest of the family joined in...or rather, _half_ of them. Upon doing a quick headcount, Lincoln saw that only seven of his ten sisters were present.

"Where are Lori, Lynn and Lily" he asked with great concern, "are they alright...are _you guys_ alright?" At first, Lisa was prepared to make a sort of dry comment about her brother's inquiry. But due to the present circumstances, she chose to hold her tongue.

"Guess you could say we're fair to middling, Linc" Luan replied, "I mean...us jailbirds haven't gone cuckoo just yet." Lincoln couldn't help but chuckle a little at this; after being apart for so long, hearing one of Luan's cheesy puns felt like a godsend. Yet, at the same time; Lincoln felt that the delivery lacked his sister's usual zing (as she called it.)

As he took a moment to look over each of them, Lincoln saw that the others looked the same as Lana and Lola did; ragged and bereft of their usual spirit. Luan looked like a female version of the sad crying clown, Luna appeared heavily sleep deprived, Lucy looked like a zombie (and she didn't quite enjoy it,) Leni looked ready to burst with tears and while Lisa's outward appearance didn't quite show it, Lincoln could tell she was suffering too (when he saw her hands shaking.) His parents didn't look any better either, when Lincoln looked up at them.

Rita's hair looked just as disheveled as Lola's, her makeup had been cleaned away (making her look like a middle-aged Lori) and she had severe bags under her eyes. Lynn Sr. did whatever he could to keep his wife's spirit up but had difficulty doing so for himself. The most shocking thing, to Lincoln was how his dad wasn't wearing one of his infamous themed ties.

Without one on, he looked like every other father figure; incredibly average. Once everyone was together, they took their seats on the couch. Soon after, a voice suddenly spoke out through the family's ankle bracelets. _"Remember, y'all got one hour together"_ a police officer's voice informed on the other line, _"catch up, say whatever needs to be said or whatever. But if you step outta line, it's back in the Cooler."_

Everyone nodded slightly in understanding and gazed at one another. Once the police officer ended his call, there was a stone-cold silence between Lincoln and his family; save for a few sad sniffles and whimpers. Finally; Leni let out an anguished yell and scooped Lincoln up into her arms in a tight hug.

"LINKY! PLEASE, PLEASE...COME BACK" she begged, "I JUST WANNA HUG YOU AND KISS YOU AGAIN, LIKE OLD TIMES!" Despite equally wishing the same thing; inside, a small sliver of resentment towards the family still remained. "Is that how you remember the good ol' days, Leni" Lincoln grumbled, "remind me, then...did the affection come before or _after_ you guys did stuff like beat me up, forced me to dress up for non-existent dates or kept me out of the bathroom for hours while you all did makeup or...who knows what else?"

Upon hearing the bitter tone in Lincoln's voice, Leni felt as if her heart broke and she suddenly began to cry. After that, both of his parents' glared daggers at Lincoln; reminding him that Leni was only trying to help make things better between them. Within seconds, the boy's grim demeanor faded and a look of remorse quickly appeared afterwards.

"You're right...You're right, she _was_ just trying to help and I'm...sorry for snapping" he said with a sigh, "I'm just...a little stressed right now, this business between us and the whole trial thing has been putting me on edge lately." Upon hearing about Lincoln's own suffering, the family's collective expressions softened and they soon rested more comfortably on the living room furniture; including Leni. "I forgive you, Linky...and I miss you so much" she sniffled, "we all do...even Lori and Lynn."

The moment both girls' names were brought up, Lincoln suddenly asked why they and Lily weren't with them. "Officer Schoffner and her associates have taken temporary custody of Lily, until the court deems me 'stable' enough to hold her again" Rita explained, "as for Lori and Lynn, they are...otherwise occupied."

(scene change: the prison psychiatric office, days earlier)

In another area of the prison, days ago; a psychiatrist is seen writing in his notepad. Said psychiatrist also appears rather fearful, due to the current patients he is speaking with. "N-N-Now, ladies...we're going to try again with our therapy session" he stammered fearfully, "let us try a little bit of an ink blot test, first; shall we?"

As the camera pans forward, the patients are revealed to be none other than Lori and Lynn Jr.; who appeared to have had their wrists bound to the chairs they're sitting on. After almost fifteen seconds of waiting, both ladies offered their doctor a silent but curt nod in reply. "Okay, I suppose I can take that as a yes" he sighed softly, "let's get started then."

With that, the psychiatrist took out some papers and showed the ink blots to the both of them; which offered rather questionable results. As he held up the first ink blot, Lori grumbled and responded in saying "I see a little twerp stealing the last of my dad's leftovers in the fridge." The doctor clicked his tongue in disapproval and held up the next picture for Lynn to see.

Without hesitation, she huffed loudly and said "I see a little, bucktoothed wuss who's too afraid to take a small beating from his big sister." Naturally, the psychiatrist found _this_ response as questionable as Lori's. When he showed another ink blot, both of them responded with "we see a house falling to pieces."

With this test proving to be inconclusive, he decided to try something else. "Let us try a little word association, this time" he stated, "I say a word and you two say any word that comes into mind...okay?" With begrudging sighs, the two Loud Sisters agreed and prepared for the test.

The first word he offered was "sports," to which Lori responded with "car" and Lynn did with "baseball." The next word was "fun" and the girls responded with both "shopping" and "wrestling." As the doctor jotted down the responses, the next word he used was "happiness."

For their answers, Lori responded with "Bobby" and Lynn with "winning." The doctor's eyebrow perked up slightly with intrigue, before quickly jotting down their responses. For his next word, he decided to go with "family."

Much to the doctor's surprise, neither of the girls offered a reply. After writing some more, he offered up a new word in "siblings;" to which the two girls replied with either "annoying" or "bratty." After that, he presented the name "Lincoln" as their next word; which caused a most alarming reaction.

Steam blew out of Lori's ears, Lynn clenched her teeth tight to the point of shattering them, both of their faces burned red and they almost ripped off their armrests. When the doctor presented the word "Lincoln" again; they responded with terms like "backstabber," "traitor," "loser," "annoying" and more shockingly..."homewrecker." Finally, the last word they chose to associate the name with was "mistake," before they suddenly ripped their arms out of the restraints and lost it.

Both ladies suddenly roar with fury and proceed to destroy the office, while the doctor cowered slightly behind his desk.

(Back to the Present)

After the family's story was finished, Lincoln was left silent with shock; while the color slowly drained from his face. "Truth be told, the doctor was expecting entirely different responses with the word he chose" explained Lynn Sr., "you know...something like 'President,' 'Nebraska...' or even 'Logs." After hearing his father's words, Lincoln quickly snapped out of his fearful daze and slumped down in his chair.

"It makes sense that they would associate me with those kinds of words" he murmured shamefully, "this entire mess is all _my_ fault anyway." Soon after that, tears started trickling down his cheeks and Lincoln began biting at his lower lip. "Lori and Lynn are right, I _am_ a mistake" he whimpered, "M-M-Mom...you should've let the doctors abort me while you had the chance!"

The family gasped in utter horror, appalled that Lincoln would even suggest such an idea. "Lincoln, you are many things" Rita said firmly, "but of all of them, you are _not _a mistake." Despite the sincerity in his mother's words, Lincoln still held firm in his beliefs.

"This whole thing is my fault to begin with" he moaned sadly, "I should've just stayed home and endured the chaos of Leni and Lori's fight, that night." The girls and their parents gazed at Lincoln sadly, their hearts breaking at seeing him in such a state. But just as Rita prepared to console him, Lisa suddenly interjected.

"I do believe you are right, Brother" she murmured, "had you chosen to accept everyone's apology at the park the other day, we would not be in our current situation." The girls all groaned loudly in disapproval towards their sister's cold comment, proclaiming that she was not helping fix things. "I am only stating the facts, everyone" she muttered with a sigh, "a simple apology and the accepting of said apology almost always fixes these sort of things."

Of all of them, Lincoln certainly wished that things would be that simple. But sadly, he quickly pointed out that they could never be that way; especially due to current circumstances. "When the whole Sister Fight Protocol started up again, I tried...I actually _tried _to stay out of it; just as you all said I should" Lincoln sighed, "I thought 'if I could stay in my room and mind my own business; in a day or so, the whole thing would be all over.'" As they listened to Lincoln's words, the girls couldn't help but blush shamefully.

"But then, by nightfall...somehow, _all_ of you managed to get swept in the storm...just like last time" Lincoln grumbled, "by then, my room was no longer a safe space for me...and I _had_ to leave." After that, neither side had spoken a word for a few moments; due to feeling either too ashamed or too angry to speak. Finally, Lincoln let out a sigh and looked at his family's bloodshot eyes.

"All I did was talk to a few friends, due to my stress levels being _super high_" he grumbled, "after that, I tried to go about life like normal...but my brain just wouldn't let me." Feeling understandably concerned, Rita asked her son what happened before break started. With that request, Lincoln told them every nightmare he had in class before Huggins sent him out on break early.

After that, Lincoln mentioned he'd been bunking with Jordan (among others) over the course of Spring Break. "I...I think I remember hearing Principal Huggins' voice say something about that on the answering machine" Lynn Sr. revealed, "but I...I wasn't able to answer the call." Upon hearing this, Lincoln asked his father not to say anything more; after looking over the state of the room.

"I just...I can't wait until all this is over, you know" he sighed, "I love hanging with my Gal Pals...but I still miss my own home, my own room and my own bed to sleep in." The moment he mentioned his bed and room, Lincoln began to fear if someone destroyed everything inside; like what happened during the "Bad Luck Incident." Somehow, Lucy could sense his fears and assured him everything was fine.

"After she collected your pajamas and clothes, the one night; Mom locked up your room and confiscated the key" she explained, "no one's gone in it, since then; not even Lori." Lincoln sighed with relief at this news and thanked his sister for telling him of it. "You're welcome, I hope this will help make things better between us" the wee Goth murmured, "though...I doubt that it will."

After that, Lucy found herself slipping into sadness...and not in the way she liked. Sensing that things were getting too grim, Lynn Sr. decided to speak on a lighter subject. "So, son; tell me about these lady friends of yours" he asked curiously, "are they treating you well, do you have a place to sleep when you bunk with them, are you eating well enough?"

Lincoln chuckled softly at his father's concern and assured him all was well. "We left Gus' Games n' Grub, a few minutes ago; when Mr. Pingrey called and said you wanted to see me" he explained, "not only was the food great but we all danced up quite a storm." Before continuing on, Lincoln took a moment to fish about in his pockets; hoping the officers didn't take the item he sought after.

Finally, he found it; his cellphone and performed a quick internet search. When Luna saw Lincoln accessing his phone, she became concerned and asked if something was wrong. "No problems here, Sis" Lincoln assured, "I just want to show a video to you guys."

After this reveal, Rita and Lynn Sr. granted Lincoln permission to play the video; on the condition that the video didn't contain anything obscene. "Don't worry, Mom and Dad; it's safe" Lincoln assured, "I know you'll love what I'm going to show you." After that, he soon found the video and pressed play.

As the Loud Family watched it, they couldn't help but gasp with surprise. It was an on-the-scene recording of the big dancing spree Lincoln started at Gus' (specifically at the Dance Battle game.) What truly astonished them was how the video contained so many different dancers.

"Whoa, dude; I knew you had moves but this is insane" Luna said with great praise, "remind me to call you, the next time I need a backup dance..." Before she could finish her sentence, the bleak truth suddenly hit Luna like a bass guitar to the back of the head. Due to the family's situation, Luna doubted if hers or _any_ of their lives could be like they used to be again.

"I'm glad you're being so well looked after. Son" Lynn Sr. murmured, "and these girls certainly look like loads of fun to be around." Lincoln chuckled a bit and told everyone how the Gal Pals helped him through so much, over the course of Spring Break. "Hold up, dude...who are the 'Gal Pals'" questioned Luna, "sounds like a movie title for a romantic comedy."

Lincoln chuckled ironically at her words and said it was something Carol or Dana came up with. "Without their help, this whole thing between us would've driven me out of my mind with guilt" he sighed, "in a way...they've become like a sort of second family for me." Upon hearing this, some of the girls all started to feel rather down; even Rita was feeling disheartened.

"Oh...wow, never realized you were all so close" Luan murmured, "I'm...I'm happy for you, Lincoln...really." Once the boy heard his sister's words and saw the sad looks on everyone's faces, his demeanor quickly changed. "Oh, no; did I...did I say something wrong" he asked worriedly, "I know I did; it was the 'second family' thing, it has to be!"

After that, Lincoln proceeded to smash his fist to his forehead while muttering "STUPID, STUPID, STUPID" to himself. Upon hearing the sounds of the punches through the monitor, an officer presumed Lincoln was hurting himself and said he was prepared to rush to the rescue. But then, Rita raised her hand and assured him that everything was still okay.

_"Well, okay; I'll take your word on that...for now"_ the officer muttered, _"but let me remind you that you have exactly 22 minutes left of visitation time."_ Everyone nodded in understanding and quickly went back to their previous conversation. "I really _am_ sorry if what I said upset you, guys" Lincoln sighed, "this is another instance where my big mouth and small brain almost got me into trouble."

Rita gasped in utter horror at Lincoln's words and demanded to know who said he had a small brain. "Well, it might not be in those _exact _words" he confessed hesitantly, "but I...I think I've heard Lisa say something close to it to either me or the others on some occasions." Upon hearing this reveal, both Loud parents glared down at the young genius; who appeared to be perspiring quite a bit.

"Young lady; over the years, I've always applauded you and your academic achievements" Rita sighed, "but showing such disrespect towards others is not a sign of intellectual behavior, it actually shows immaturity." As a retort, Lucy interjected by reminding everyone that despite her IQ level, Lisa was _still_ a four year old. "Are you saying I shouldn't flaunt my intellect, achievements and prowess; when necessary" Lisa grumbled, "that is like saying the sun is forbidden to bring scalding hot temperature levels in the summer season!"

Very quickly, everyone could sense that Lisa was about to blow a fuse. So, Lincoln did his best to try and calm her down. "No one is saying that, Lisa" he said calmly, "what we're saying is you shouldn't put down people just because they aren't on the same IQ level...or whatever, as you are."

At first, Lisa was prepared to make some form of counter argument. But much to her surprise, she couldn't think of anything and chose to remain quiet. Then, after exhaling a deep sigh; Lincoln openly admitted that Lynn might've actually been right about him after all.

"All I ever do is cause people harm" he admitted, "I cause you girls to break out into fights, I bring all kinds of stress to Mom & Dad, I screw up at every chance I'm given to be as successful as you all are...and because of me, you guys will probably be locked away forever!" After this tirade, Lincoln suddenly found himself slipping into a crying fit. When the guards suddenly overheard the boy's cries through the ankle bracelets' speakers, they were (once again) prepared to rush to the rescue.

Thinking quickly, Luna stopped the officer and urged him to stay at the station. "My bro's just letting out some waterworks he's been holdin' in for too long" she stated, "just give my family and I a little more time and we'll try to help him." At first, everyone was met with a cold silence; making them worry about their situation.

Then, the speaker turned on again and everyone could hear the officer sighing on the other end. _"Ten minutes left, little missy"_ the officer stated_, "after that, y'all are forbidden to see each other again until the day after tomorrow."_ Luna nodded in understanding, thanked the officer for his compassion and returned to her seat.

By then, Lincoln's tears had subsided slightly and he was wiping his eyes slightly with his forearm. "Wha...What did the officer mean by that" he murmured with a sniffle, "what's going on the day after tomorrow?" With a heavy heart; Rita revealed that due to Lori and Lynn's behavior in the psychiatrist office, the trial had been pushed up a few days early. "The worst part is we don't even have a lawyer to represent us" Lynn Sr. murmured worriedly, "nobody in town is willing to take our side of the case, due to all the news stories going around."

With this reveal; Lincoln, once again, felt the shame swirling inside of him. But before he could slip into another tirade, the girls quickly stopped him. "Lincoln, please...stop beating yourself up" Lucy murmured, "we're just as guilty as you feel."

The other Loud Sisters murmured softly in agreement, even the parents raised their voices on the matter. "We should've stopped the stupid fight before it got too out of hand, dudes" Luna sighed, "if we did, we'd all still be hangin' here at home together; livin' life and having fun like always." Everyone murmured softly in agreement, wishing more than anything that they could change what happened.

"Sigh...Sadly, the past can never be changed" Lucy murmured, "we must all accept what we've done wrong and do our best to fix our future." After saying this; the wee Goth looked towards Lincoln and vowed to help fix things between them, somehow. The other girls all echoed the same reply and Lincoln told them the same.

"I just want to say...sorry in advance" he muttered, "you know, for anything I might reveal in court." Lynn Sr., Rita and the girls nodded slightly in understanding; before proclaiming that the town was bound to see the skeletons in their closets sooner or later. "Just promise us you'll be strong...okay, honey" Rita murmured hopefully, "promise us you won't worry too much and try to stay strong for us."

After taking a moment to wipe away his tears, Lincoln put on the best "game face" he had and saluted his family. This caused the girls to laugh a little at him, not out of mockery but because it reminded them all of his usual "Man with the Plan" self. "I better go, the girls are all waiting for me outside" Lincoln said softly, "I'll see you guys later...I hope.

With that said, he climbed out of the chair and made his way over to the front door. After exiting the house, Lincoln prepared to head over towards Carol's van; when he suddenly heard the faint sounds of tapping from behind him. Upon turning around, he saw the Loud Family softly tapping their fingers against the window.

Then, each of them started giving Lincoln heart-shaped hand gestures; which caused the boy's heart to swell slightly with joy. After that, Lincoln headed back to the van; while the Louds took their seats in the living room. Though it was a brief visit, seeing Lincoln with them again made the Louds feel the happiest they've been in days and hoped that he would come back again; in due time.

(Scene Change: The Casagrande Apartment Complex)

Meanwhile, down in Great Lakes City; Ronnie Anne was seen storing a large box inside of Carlotta's room. Earlier that day, she had gone on another one of her famous Thrift Store shopping sprees and she picked up quite a few boxes. Yet in the end, Ronnie Anne managed to do it all. After storing the last box away, she was ready to hit the sac.

Then, without warning; the door suddenly swung open from the outside. Soon after, Carlotta entered the room; dressed in a bathrobe and wearing a towel on her head (indicating she had just stepped out of the shower.) "Hey, Cuz; thanks for helping with those boxes" she said gratefully, "before you head off to bed, could you do me one last favor.

As much as she wanted to say no, Ronnie Anne's soft heart couldn't allow her to do it. So, she took a seat and asked what her cousin needed from her. "I need an extra set of hands to help me brush my hair" Carlotta stated, "could you do me a solid and help me with that?"

Again, Ronnie Anne was tempted to say no...but once again, her soft side got the better of her and she agreed to the request. After Carlotta took a seat on a stool she had, she handed Ronnie Anne a brush and removed her towel; revealing a long, beautiful yet _very_ wet mane of shadowy locks. Without a moment's pause, Ronnie Anne took the brush in hand and began combing.

At first, it seemed like a rather easy job...until the teeth of the brush suddenly found themselves tangled in Carlotta's thick hair. Soon, Ronnie Anne found herself tugging the brush slightly; which in turn brought great pain to her cousin. "OW! Easy does it with the brushing, Ronnie Anne" Carlotta groaned, "my hair is my treasure and I don't want it to be taken from me."

Ronnie Anne sighed softly and murmured how the job would be so much easier, if her cousin's hair wasn't so thick. After almost three tries at attempting to comb Carlotta's hair; the hairbrush got snagged slightly and Ronnie Anne groaned in annoyance. "Sorry, Cuz; I tried to help. But I'm just no good at hair brushing...unless it's my own" she sighed, "maybe you can get your mom, _Abuela_ or even Margarita down at her salon to help you."

Carlotta was poised to urge her young cousin to give it another go. But when she saw how depressed Ronnie Anne looked, she held her tongue about it. "Seems to me you're upset about more than just my hair, Cuz" she said bluntly, "what's on your mind?"

At first, Ronnie Anne didn't feel like saying anything. But Carlotta chose to be firm and took a stance at her doorway, after shutting said door closed. "I _know_ something is bugging you, Ronnie Anne" she said sternly, "and until you tell me, I'm not moving from this spot!"

Under normal circumstances, Ronnie Anne would hold her ground and either guilt Carlotta into letting her leave or verbally assault her into submission. But at the moment, Ronnie Anne's mind was far too frazzled for her to be like her usual self. So, in the end; she relented and took a seat on Carlotta's bed.

"You're right, Carlotta; something_ is_ bugging me" Ronnie Anne murmured, "or should I say, _someone_ has been bugging me." Carlotta tilted her head slightly in confusion, then asked her cousin to speak more clearly. "It's just...after that whole incident at the park, the other day; back in Royal Woods...I can't stop worrying about Lincoln" Ronnie Anne sighed, "Lynn and Lori looked like they were ready to murder him _and_ his friends, had we not arrived when we did."

Carlotta shuddered slightly at her words, still remembering how viciously Ronnie Anne and Lynn Jr. assaulted each other on the day in question. "It's a good thing your mom was able to treat your wounds" she said with relief in her voice, "and that the police were able to dispatch the Loud Girls before things got too _loco._" Ronnie Anne nodded slightly at her cousin's words, before hanging her head low in sadness.

"I just never thought things were _that_ bad between Lincoln and his sisters lately" she sighed deeply, "I mean...Lori looked like she was out for blood, that day." Upon hearing this, Carlotta shook her head vigorously; before she begged Ronnie Anne not to put such an image into her head. "I just hope Lincoln's still doing okay, after we left" the young Latina murmured hopefully, "at least his well-being is in good hands."

After that, Carlotta gave Ronnie Anne a light hug and they prepared to make another attempt at hair brushing. Then, without warning; the phone suddenly started ringing in the living room of the apartment. "Could somebody get that, please" Carlotta called out loudly, "Ronnie Anne and I kinda have our hands full!"

Within seconds, the two girls heard someone walking past their door and into the next room. After that, the phone was picked up before the fourth ring could sound out. _"_Hola,_ this is Rosa of Casagrandes Apartments"_ a woman's voice greeted warmly, _"how may I help you today?"_

Soon after that, Rosa found herself in the midst of a serious phone conversation with the person on the other line. Due to the door being shut, neither Carlotta nor Ronnie Anne could hear what was going on. "You don't think it's someone asking for Bobby again, do you" questioned Ronnie Anne, "that would mean Lincoln's in trouble again."

Though feeling equally worried, Carlotta softly hushed her cousin; wishing to try and hear what was happening as best as she could. Unfortunately; the only thing she could hear was the occasional muffled replies of "yes," "I see," or "I understand" from her grandmother. Finally, after almost seven minutes; all was as quiet and still as the grave.

Normally, in this place; such a silence would be welcomed. But after the sudden phone call, Ronnie Anne and Carlotta couldn't help but wonder what was happening. Then, without warning; the door suddenly swung open and both girls suddenly fell forward onto the floor.

After recovering from the minor slip; the girls looked up to see Carlos, Carlotta's father and Ronnie Anne's uncle standing over them. "This is no time for horsing around, girls" the man said firmly, "your _Abuela _has called for a family meeting in the living room." Upon hearing this news, Carlotta suddenly shot up from the ground and asked what was happening?

"I'm not really sure, honey" Carlos sighed, "all that I _do _know is she just got off the phone a few minutes ago and immediately called for a meeting, soon after she hung up." The girls gulped nervously at this news, wondering what it was that could've brought their grandmother to come to this decision.

(Line Break)

"_Mi Familia, _I suppose you're all wondering why I've asked for this meeting" Rosa murmured worriedly, "well...it involved a call I received just moments ago." Maria, Bobby and Ronnie Anne's mother, gasped in shock and asked if anything was wrong. "Is someone hurt" she inquired worriedly, "if that's the case, I can call the hospital and ask if I can borrow an ambulance."

Rosa smiled at her daughter's vigilant nature and assured her no one had been hurt. "It turns out that we've been asked to represent someone in court" she explained, "someone who is rather important to someone in our family." Upon hearing this; Carl presumed it was his "lovely gazelle," Lori and offered go and assist her.

"I'm afraid not, _nieto_" Rosa said firmly, "it is not Lori whom we are asked to help, it's Lincoln." The whole family gasped at the news and asked if he was alright. "What happened to the little dude" questioned Bobby, "did Lori or someone else try to hurt him again?"

Rosa patted her grandson reassuringly on the shoulder and assured him that Lincoln was doing okay. "We were simply called to serve as witnesses and share our opinions/knowledge on the case, due to how close he and his sister are to our family" Rosa explained, "I told him we would try to work something out, until the day arrived." With this statement, everyone noticed a sort of hidden subtext in the woman's words.

The court date would be falling on the busiest day for the family. Whether it was Maria's work at the hospital, Carlos teaching at the college or the rest of the family managing the bodega; they knew trying to drive to Royal Woods would be impossible. "It seems we're at a bit of a crossroads, everybody" Hector sighed, "I mean, I know the trial is important...but how can we answer the summons when we've got our own business to attend to?"

Without second thought, the answer became clear to everyone. Firstly, Carlos would be making a phone call to the college; hoping that someone would substitute for him. Secondly, Maria would be making a similar call to the hospital.

(Moments Later)

Almost a half an hour later, Carlos and Maria returned to the living room; happy to report that their positions would be covered that day. _"Perfecto! Buen trabajo, mis queridos" _Rosa said with joy, (Translation: "Perfect! Great work, my dears;") "now...all we need is to close the Bodega for a few days until the trial is over." Upon hearing this, Hector acted as though he was suffering a heart attack and almost fell out his recliner.

"Rosita, _mi amore..._are you sure it is wise to do something so risky" he asked hesitantly, "the last time we closed for several days, Maybelle got rather...testy due to not being able to buy her favorite tea from us." Everyone shuddered slightly with disgust, remembering the many messages on the answering machine Maybelle left during that time. They started out mild, at first...before Maybelle's later messages turned into angry rants.

"I had to help with her shopping for two weeks, after that" Bobby murmured, "I later had to spend equally as much time apologizing to Lori for missing our phone chats." With this minor issue in mind, everyone tried to think of a way out of it. That was when CJ presented a most unique idea. "What if we send a message to everyone" he exclaimed, "that way, nobody gets mad."

At first, everyone thought such an idea wouldn't work; due to the fact that so many people came to the bodega. But then, Ronnie Anne said it could actually work; provided something else was added. "So many of our customers are people we know, not just in this building but in the city as well" she explained, "if we ask _them_ to pass the message along to other customers, we can get the word out quicker."

It was here that Bobby remarked how the idea reminded him of a "copy and paste" message people would pass around on Social Media. However, while most of said messages felt like nonsense; _this_ would actually be something everyone would _need_ to see. "Then, let us begin with getting the word out" Rosa stated, "_vamos, familia;_ we need to do this as quickly as we can."

Not needing to be told twice; Ronnie Anne, Bobby, Carlotta and both their mothers began their work. They knew that shutting down the bodega, even temporarily, would be a big shock to everyone in town. But at the moment, a friend's life and family relationships seemed far more important than money.

As the last of the messages were sent out, everyone sighed deeply; believing all the loose ends had been tied up. But then, everyone discovered one final and fundamental issue that had yet to be addressed; getting to the courthouse. "We could take the bus" Maria suggested, "but then again, I doubt the Express takes rides outside of the city."

That was when Ronnie Anne came up with an idea, one that she hoped the court would allow. "_Abuela,_ think you could call those guys at the courthouse again" she asked suddenly, "I may have an idea of how we can help Lincoln...I just hope they'll allow it."

(AN: I think I will leave things there, for now; gotta leave my readers wanting more, you know. Will Ronnie Anne's plan help out during Lincoln's case, will the Loud Family's relationship survive it or more importantly; will Lincoln's mental state still be in one piece, in the end? Find out next time, as the day of the trial finally arrives)

(Second AN: This chapter was meant to fulfill two requests some of my reviewers have presented me, a moment of slight reconciliation between Lincoln and his family and scenes that show that Lincoln isn't the "saintly figure" some of my naysayers claim I've been depicting him as.

Just as he did towards the gals in previous chapters; Lincoln has, once again, acknowledged his failings here and right to his family's collective faces no less. He's admitting that he has done wrong, be it intentional or not, and he feels incredible shame over what has happened. So much so, many worry that he might snap before the end.

With all that in mind, it should be abundantly clear that Lincoln sees himself as anything but saintly. If anything, he sees himself as a mistake and has begun to think Lori's and Lynn's opinions of him are correct. So, kindly refrain from bringing up anymore "church of St. Lincoln" cliché nonsense; if you please.)

(Third AN: As this chapter pointed out, the reason Lori and Lynn haven't been released yet is due to their continuing negative behavior. The rest of the family has agreed to behave and admit their transgressions in the court of law...but the remaining Loud Sisters continue to latch on to the delusion that they have done nothing wrong.

I hope I have answered your concerns about them for the moment)


	25. Chapter Twenty-Four: The Trial - Pt One

The Trial – Part One: Opening Statements

The day had finally arrived; after weeks of waiting, stressful anticipation and preparation...the day of the Loud Family Trial had come. Needless to say, this event in Royal Woods' history caused quite a bit of buzz throughout the town. Outside of the courthouse; one could see scores of newscasters, neighbors of the family and townspeople gathering in droves

Among these reporters was Katherine Mulligan, who was anxious to begin covering (what she considered to be) the biggest story of her career. As her camera crew readied their equipment, Katherine was making a few last minute touchups to her look. When she was _finally_ ready (almost ten minutes later,) Katherine took her mic in hand and the camera began filming.

"Good morning, Royal Woods; this is Katherine Mulligan, ace reporter and I'm standing outside of the Royal Woods Courthouse" she said as professionally as possible, "inside this building, the public will bear witness to a trial between a family of thirteen." After that, she paused for "dramatic affect;" as if imagining her viewers feeling confused by the reveal. "No! You did not mishear me, viewers" she stated, "today's trial is between the plaintiff, Lincoln Loud and the defendants; which include both his parents and 10 sisters."

While Katherine talked, the film crew chuckled amongst themselves about how outrageous it was for one woman to bring so many children into the world. "Didn't the parents learn anything about protection or birth control" muttered the Boom Operator, "my wife stopped at just _two_ kids, if I ever wanted ten...she'd leave me." Within seconds, Mulligan caught sight of her crew talking to one another and immediately demanded for them to focus.

Once she regained her composure, Katherine resumed speaking to the viewers. "As I was saying...this particular case has sparked quite a bit of buzz within not just the town but nearly all of Michigan" she stated, "for the other members of the family currently face charges of wanton negligence, endangerment, numerous forms of abuse (both physical, emotional and psychological) and many others that are...far too many to list within the current timeframe."

Continuing from there, she went on to say how the Loud Family (as the defendants) wish to say that no such incidents occurred and that their son was simply "blowing things out of proportion." "As you can see behind me, the case has created quite an uproar in our little town" Katherine stated, "a recent poll created by the station reads that a whopping 90% of the town wishes for justice to be served to the family." At that moment, she placed her hand upon her earbud to hear the anchors at the station as who the other 10% was.

"It's sort of half-and-half, guys" she replied, "one half of the ten is some of the Louds believing they are innocent, while the other half belongs to the neighbors who only wish for the family to put aside all this and become a loving family again." No sooner had she said this, Mulligan informed the viewers that life could never be that simple. She then brought up how the family might not be quite as "innocent" as the 10% believed them to be.

"More often than not, the family has caused quite a bit of grief for this town" she said matter-of-factly, "from Miss Luan Loud's psychotic prank sprees, to Luna Loud creating town-wide blackouts with her guitar music, young Lisa Loud's...often unethical scientific practices and countless other incidents; the Loud Sisters have made quite a name for themselves...and not in a good way." Soon after saying this, someone at the station asked if the parents lent a hand in stopping any of this behavior. "They've tried and have succeeded on some occasions" Mulligan replied, "but on others, they've either ran in terror or chose to put their children in the hands of others; like Rita's Aunt Ruth."

(Quick cut to Aunt Ruth's home)

As another reporter enters the house, he is met with scores of cats on the floor. Some of them toy around with objects around the house, others try to run their claws on the reporter's pants; almost causing him to trip up. After a brief stumble, the man clears his throat and looks to the cameraman; who is almost buried up to his hair in cats.

"This is Ted MacAlister here and I'm at the house of one of the Loud Family's few existing relatives, Ruth" he stated, "according to...HEY, GET OFF OF HIM (swats several cats away from the camera) according to two of the defendants, Rita and Lynn; they often send their children here, if they were ever in need of a sitter." At that moment, Ted's foot suddenly stamps down on something soft...and quite moist. This led to him praying that he didn't step on something disgusting.

Much to his mild relief, he saw that his shoe stood atop some wet food that poured out of a tipped over cat food can. While it wasn't what he feared it to be, the reporter couldn't help but grimace; before imagining how much it will cost to get his shoes clean. Soon after, he looked up and gasped in horror at the state of the place.

Any spot of the walls that weren't covered with photographs of cats and other things had claw marks on the paper. The floor was covered with cat food slop, the air smelled like the place hadn't been cleaned in ages and there were empty containers strewn about the kitchen counter. Upon inspecting one of them, Ted MacAlister spots what looks like some sort of pudding stuck to the sides.

"I think I've found some sort of food here in the kitchen" he murmured warily, "although, I wouldn't quite call it that." Throwing caution to the wind, he gave the stuff a small taste...and suddenly started gagging mere seconds later. "Oh...my dear Lord" he groaned, "whatever that trash is..._IT'S APPALLING!_" Soon after he started screaming; a voice suddenly shouted "keep it down, I'm watching my stories" from somewhere close by.

After leaving the kitchen area, MacAlister and his crew looked into the living room and spotted someone sitting on a reclining chair. She was a heavyset woman, appeared to be middle aged wearing an olive-green dress with sunflowers upon it. Her hair was tied into a messy bun, she had three cats upon her lap and the state of her feet was unhealthy.

MacAlister couldn't tell which he disliked most, the bunions growing on the soles of her feet...or the fact that this woman appeared to have an extra toe on her left foot. With a tired grunt, the woman looked over her shoulder and spotted the reporter standing nearby. "Don't know who you are, bub...but I'm happy you're here" she murmured, "since my family hasn't visited me in a while, I need someone to massage my feet."

As the woman proceeded to wriggle her toes slightly, MacAlister did everything he could not to vomit on the carpet or any of the cats. "A-Actually, Ma'am...it's because of your family that I'm here" he said hesitantly, "that is...are you the one they call Aunt Ruth?" The woman took a deep swig of her beverage, let out an obnoxious belch, wiped off her mouth and answered with "that's my name...don't wear it out."

With this reveal, MacAlister was happy to be getting somewhere and proceeded with the interview. "I'm certain you're aware that your niece and her family are being called into court today" he asked, "that is, _have_ you heard about it yet?" Ruth was silent for several moments, as if in a state of deep thought.

Then, after almost a minute later; she gave a rough grunt and shrugged her shoulders in a sort of "I've got nothing" sort of manner. "What happened this time" she asked bluntly, "did Old Man Grouse file a noise complaint again?" Ted MacAlister shook his head slightly and said that they were on trial against her nephew, Lincoln.

"Oh, yeah; him" Ruth grunted while scratching her belly, "been missing his footrubs lately; tell the family to stop on by, when this is done." Realizing they were getting nowhere with this woman, the crew quickly left the house and went back to the van. "Uh...that's all we got here, Katherine" Ted MacAlister said hesitantly, "back to you at the scene."

(Quick cut back to Katherine, still outside the courthouse)

When the camera cut back to Katherine Mulligan, the poor woman was seen vomiting into a bag; after seeing the state of Ruth's home. Upon recovering twenty seconds later, she cleaned herself up and looked back at the camera. Then, before she could say another word; a voice suddenly spoke through Katherine's earbud.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I've just been informed that the Louds are on there way here" she stated, "I wonder who will show up first, Lincoln or his sisters and parents?" As if on cue, she turned around and spotted a minivan stopping in front of the courthouse steps. "It seems the rest of the family has come first, folks" she murmured, "let's see if we can get a look at them."

With that said, she joined the other reporters on the scene and watched for the doors of Vanzilla to open. When they did, eight of the ten Loud Sisters and their parents exited the vehicle and made their way towards the courthouse. As expected, they were all suddenly swarmed by reporters; each of them asking the sisters questions like "what is the rumored 'protocol' the girls have," "did they really force their own brother to wear a squirrel suit in the sunlight" and for the parents, "why did they allow their only son to run away?"

Alas, the family was far too emotionally distraught to answer any of their questions and thus only offered two words in reply..."no comment." After the family got inside, a police car suddenly arrived; whereby three female officers exited with two other Loud Children in their custody, Lincoln (the Plaintiff) and his baby sister, Lily. As they walked up the steps, Lincoln took a moment to speak quietly with the two officers behind him.

"Are you sure your colleagues don't mind looking after Lily during this thing, Officer Schoffner" he asked cautiously, "I'm not doubting any caretaker skills they might have, I just want her to be safe." One of the two officers ruffled Lincoln's hair slightly and assured him his sister was in good hands. "You're looking at a woman who's an auntie of three, kiddo" she said with a chuckle, "after helping raise _them_, this lil' cutie shouldn't be too big of a problem."

The second officer nodded slightly at her partner and proceeded to make baby noises at Lily, causing her to laugh. Upon entering the courthouse, her laughter suddenly echoed through the entire room. This did not go unnoticed by Rita, who proceeded to look over her shoulder at her baby.

In that moment, when she saw how content Lily was and how calm Lincoln appeared after their previous encounter; Rita felt as though her heart was being squeezed in a vice. Soon, tears began to well up in her eyes, bringing the poor woman on the verge of an emotional break down. But in spite of it all, she did her best to appear calm and collected.

In time; Lincoln found his seat in one of the booths, while the team of officers asked the bailiff if they could take Lily in the back with them. "Things might get rather noisy and unsavory here soon" one of the officers stated, "we don't want the widdle sweetie to be get upset, no we don't." Within seconds, the officers started speaking gibberish to Lily; which caused the baby in question to squeal with joy.

"Whoa, dudes...that's the happiest I've seen Lily in weeks" Luna murmured shamefully, "I really hope we don't end up getting separated from her." The others shuddered violently at the idea, not wishing to see it happen either. Then, the bailiff stood before the crowd and called for attention.

"Please rise" he announced loudly, "the Royal Woods Court is now in session." The whole room suddenly fell silent, after this declaration was made. After a short while, the bailiff ushered in the Honorable Judge Agatha Snapper.

At that moment, the door near the judge's podium suddenly burst open and a woman was seen at the doorway. She appeared to be in her late-50's, had a head of short yet shaggy black hair, slightly wrinkly features on her face (possibly the result of stress from her career) and had a look upon her face that just radiated with a no-nonsense attitude. Upon taking her seat at the podium, she slammed her gavel upon the wood surface and cleared her throat.

"Thank you for coming, everyone" she murmured stoically, "please, be seated; court is now in session." This signaled for everyone in court to sit themselves down, which they did. After this, Lincoln cast a silent glance towards his sisters and caught sight of Leni waving at him kindly.

With a soft smile upon his face, he did the same thing back at _her_ and faced the judge. Before the trial could begin, however; Judge Snapper adjusted her glasses and noticed something amiss with the Louds. "Mr. Loud, I was led to believe you had _ten_ daughters" she said matter-of-factly, "but there appear to only be six present, not including the baby...where are the other two?"

Before either Rita or Lynn Sr. could answer, Officer Schoffner intervened; proclaiming that the two aforementioned girls needed to be brought to the courthouse separately from the rest of their family. "This may seem a tad unconventional to you, Your Honor" she stated, "but it was both for the safety of the family itself and for others as well." Then, as if on cue; the front doors of the courthouse opened suddenly.

After that, two figures were led in by a group of seven officers; each one wearing riot gear. Some might look at this and think that they were being rather paranoid. But due to the two ladies'...shall we say, unstable behaviors; the officers felt they couldn't be too careful.

Both Lori and Lynn Jr. were dressed in orange prison suits, had cuffs around their wrists and ankles (their wrists obviously being shackled behind them) and their faces looked rather flustered. Lincoln could also see blood red colors in their eyes (possibly due from a lack of sleep or something else.) Both of their hairdos were hideously messy and they both wore vicious sneers upon their faces; as if waiting for an excuse to snap at somebody.

They were pushed roughly to the head of the courtroom and, instead of being seated with their family, were placed in wooden chairs behind the bailiff. Once everyone was together, the trial was now ready to begin.

(Line Break)

The time for opening statements came and Lincoln's side was given the floor first. Soon, Ms. Baldur (one of the three lawyers representing Lincoln) stood before the court and cleared her throat softly. "Your Honor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury and good people of Royal Woods; today, we're about to oversee a truly rare case" she explained, "while you're all no stranger to family dispute cases, no one here or at home has witnessed one involving a family of _ten!_"

With this statement, people in the courtroom began to murmur softly; which made the Louds feel rather anxious. After a while, the judge hammered her gavel lightly and called for order. Once everything was calm again, Ms. Baldur resumed her speech.' "Moving along, in this particular case; the defending party of Mr. Lynn Loud Sr., Rita Loud and nine of their ten daughters currently face an unprecedented number of charges" the lawyer decreed, "among them are criminal negligence, multiple counts of abuse, property damage, harming other citizens, reckless endangerment and other charges."

The other Loud Family members couldn't help but squirm at the mention of those charges, fearing about what might happen to them in the end. Meanwhile, Lori and Lynn were busy glowering at Lincoln from where they sat. "But until now, we've only heard _stories_ about all this" Ms. Baldur affirmed, "rumors, whispers through the grapevine; that sort of thing; the time has come to learn the truth."

With that said, she called for Lincoln to take the stand. Before he did, the lad cast a few glances towards his family; as if mentally apologizing to each of them for what he might say. Once he had taken his seat, the bailiff approached him; holding a massive Bible in his hands.

"Place your hand upon the Bible please, Sir" instructed the man, to which Lincoln followed suit without hesitation. Afterwards, he began to swear him in with a familiar phrase; "do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing _but_ the truth; so help you God?" After taking a moment to swallow a nervous lump down his throat, Lincoln coughed softly and murmured "I...I-I do" in reply.

With that settled; Lincoln moved his hand off the Bible, the bailiff stepped away and Ms. Baldur soon approached him. "Young man, as best as you can; kindly state your name to the rest of the court, please" she requested, "as I said...if you can, it's okay to be nervous." As per his instructions; Lincoln took a moment to calm his nerves, let out a calming breath or two and stood up from his seat.

"My name is Lincoln Loud" he began, "I'm the only son of Lynn Loud Sr. and Rita, as well as the middle child of my ten other siblings." Feeling satisfied with his response, both the judge and Ms. Baldur asked him to sit back down. "Lincoln...over the past few weeks, many stories have been spread hither and yon about your family" she stated, "did you have any part in that, in any way; however big or small?"

Obviously feeling a touch nervous by this inquiry, Lincoln couldn't help but hesitate; fearing about what his parents or sisters might do. But then, he realized he was under oath and had to speak the truth; regardless of the consequences. "Yes, I _did_ have a part in it" he said with a sigh, "that is, I was part of _half_ of it."

Upon hearing this, many people in the room (including Lincoln's family) murmured softly in both confusion and intrigue. "If that is the case; then, could you tell us the part where you _were_ involved" Ms. Baldur inquired, "don't hold anything back. Realizing that there was no beating around the bush here, Lincoln had no choice but to tell everyone everything.

"I guess...it all started after the big fight" he began, "I mean...the fight that two of my sisters were having." Continuing from there; Lincoln recited the same story he told Carol and her crew in the very beginning, starting with Lori's golf loss. He told everyone about how hard Lori trained for it, how long she practiced for it and how eager she was to emerge victorious.

Then, he brought up the moment where it all fell apart; when Leni started acting like an obnoxious football fan (air horn and all.) "As you might guess, this sudden noise threw Lori off her game and she lost" he murmured sadly, "to make matters worse; she lost against someone she once considered a long-time rival, Ms. Carol Pingrey." No sooner had he said this, all eyes fell upon the girl in question; who was sitting alongside the other Gal Pals in the Gallery.

When they saw Lincoln at the stand, the ladies (young and old) each waved silently in greeting to him. After Lincoln waved back, he continued with his statement. "I'm not entirely familiar with their whole rivalry thing, to be honest" he confessed, "but from what I've heard, it had been a thing since both of them were in Kindergarten."

From there, he referenced how Carol seemed to supposedly "outdo" each other in almost everything in their lives. "Lori always hated coming in second to Carol, for some reason" Lincoln said with mild exasperation, "whether it was golfing, selling cookies in the Blue Bell Scouts or even trying to become Homecoming Queen; she always seemed to come out on top." This part of the boy's story seemed to create a mixed reaction within the crowd.

Some like the jury members and a few people in the gallery felt like it was all just the same old stuff any young high school girl dealt with. Meanwhile; Carol, her friends and half of the Loud Family felt as though Lincoln was walking on eggshells due to how sensitive Lori felt about such moments in her life. At the same time, the girl in question was glaring at Lincoln with such fire in her eyes; it was as if she was attempting to telepathically burn him.

Once Judge Snapper called for order again, she questioned Lincoln what happened after his sister lost the game. "Well...the truth is, many...many of my sisters take winning _very_ seriously" he replied, "on one hand, I admire that about them because of how focused they can be." Before continuing; once again, Lincoln felt hesitant to continue due to wondering what his family might do next.

It wasn't until Mr. Bush, another lawyer representing him, kindly urged Lincoln to speak up. "Do not be afraid or ashamed to speak your mind, my boy" he stated, "we simply wish to know the truth." After a moment or two of silence, Lincoln sighed deeply and spoke about the downsides to how goal driven they are.

"Whenever they desire to win something, some of my sisters become _obsessed_ with wanting to achieve victory" he stated, "one of my other sisters, Lynn Jr. even has a shrine in her closet that she sometimes prays to." Upon hearing this; the judge, jury and even Ms. Baldur herself agreed that praying isn't that odd for someone. But when asked what sort of god Lynn Jr. chose to pray to; Lincoln simply said "if I told you, you'd either think I'm nuts or Lynn would beat me senseless."

Ms. Baldur patted the boy's shoulder tenderly and assured him that wouldn't happen. "We've seen people from all kinds of different faiths grace these halls before" she stated, "so, we're familiar with all manner of religious practices." As for Lynn possibly harming him due to his testimony; with the permission of Judge Snapper, she instructed Lynn's police escorts to temporarily restrain her.

The officers obeyed their orders and took hold of the girl by both arms. This caused the young athlete to squirm violently while also letting out an occasional growl or two. "Get your hands off of me, pigs" she demanded, "I'm not gonna hurt my brother..._much._"

Everyone in the room, including Lori, gave Lynn fierce looks that seem to say "I don't believe you." When she saw all the looks being sent her way, Lynn groaned loudly and revealed that what happened next all depended on what Lincoln would say next. After dismissing Lynn's comment; the court, once again, kindly urged Lincoln to speak up.

After taking a moment to prepare himself for a possible thrashing, the lad continued with his statement. "While it _is_ normal for people to pray; before every game she'd play, Lynn chose to pray to a very specific 'being/set of beings'" he stated, "something called...the 'Gods of Sports' or something like that." From there; Lincoln revealed his sister's obsession with luck, how even the slightest failure or single loss could "offend the gods" and all the rituals she'd perform before or even _during_ a game.

"On one occasion, during a ball game; it had to go into overtime because Lynn held up everything with one of her rituals" Lincoln groaned exasperatedly, "but to the rest of us, it looked like some stupid dance she was doing." No sooner had he said this, the girl in question growled angrily and cried "I OBJECT," only for her to be quickly restrained by her escort. "Ms...Loud, if you wish to speak up, we will let you" murmured Judge Snapper, "but you must calm yourself down first."

While still feeling quite "miffed" on the inside, Lynn knew she had to play along and decided to take in some cleansing breaths. After a while, she became calm enough to speak her objections. "Is it really that big of a crime to perform a gesture or pray to someone for good luck...is it" she asked, "I've seen loads of athletes do the same kinda thing, over the course of my life and nobody gave _them_ flack for it!"

The court took Lynn's words into consideration and then, Ms. Baldur soon approached her. "Yes, what you say _is_ true" she confessed, "but the difference here is...other athletes pray to _real_ religious figures for 'luck.'" To drive her point home further, she said that very few of them (if not none) ever relied on luck for a chance at success.

"An athlete only achieves victory through two ways, their skills/abilities on the field and trust in their teammates" she proclaimed, "should they ever feel the urge to call upon 'Lady Luck' or some other nonsensical being of that variety, it must mean they lack something from both factors." Soon after, people in the court began to question Lynn's athletic abilities; which caused the girl in question to become infuriated. After calling for order again, Judge Snapper asked for Lincoln to get to the point of his story.

"Okay...well; after the loss, Lori got into a huge argument with Leni about it" he began, "she kept saying stuff like 'sometimes, you can be the dumbest person in this house' or 'you made me lose on purpose, you bimbo.'" To say that the court was shocked by this reveal would be an understatement. "After that, they got into a fight; which may not seem like much to a lot of you...correct" he asked, earning a few nods from people; "well, in _my_ house; fighting happens almost all the time and it's often over really dumb stuff."

He then listed all the bickering they did over who had the remote on certain nights, who got to use the shower first, who drank the last of the milk in the fridge and other examples. "Sometimes, I'm part of the fights myself" he admitted, "other times, my parents would ask me to be the mediator and help my sisters work things out."Many people in the court commended Lincoln for taking such a big responsibility for a family his size.

Others believed such a position would prove too stressful to handle. "He's tellin' the truth, dudes" Luna chimed in suddenly, "we often refer to Linc as the man with the plan...because he almost always finds a way to fix things." For a moment, Lincoln felt touched by his sister's words. But then remembered how she said he "almost always" found a way to fix things...and he couldn't help but agree with her.

"Half the time, my ideas _do_ help make things right between us" he stated, "other times, I just seem to make things worse." Feeling concerned by his words, Judge Snapper kindly asked for Lincoln to elaborate. "Well...there was one other time where Lori and Leni, my two oldest sisters, got into a fight" he stated, "but on this occasion, it was over a dress."

From there, he explained how both of them bought the _exact _dress on a shopping trip. "Both of them demanded the other to return the dress, not wishing to appear as a copycat...or something stupid like that" Lincoln said while shaking his head, "bet you can all guess how things went after that."Indeed, everyone could already deduce where this squabble led to; a fight between sisters.

At first, everyone considered it to be normal behavior; despite the overall silly reason _why_ they were fighting. But then, Lincoln said that wasn't the end of it. "On the day I'd find out about this fight, I discovered that two areas of my house were blocked off with police tape" he stated, "furthermore, some of my other sisters were on 'guard duty' at these locations."

When asked where these blockades were, Lincoln revealed that he could not enter either the kitchen or the bathroom; due to Lori and Leni choosing to cool off separately in both places. "I then asked what I was supposed to do if I got hungry" he cried, "to which Lisa hands me a bagel; one that was in the sofa and covered in...I dare not say." Naturally, the people began to talk amongst themselves; softly expressing their disgust over such conduct.

"What about the bathroom, Mr. Loud" questioned Ms. Baldur, "if your other sister was taking refuge in there, how were you able to...relieve yourself?" In spite of the shame he felt inside; Lincoln revealed that Lana, one of his younger sisters, handed him a bucket to use. "At first, I didn't want to even consider such a thing" he stated, "but unfortunately, Mother Nature started calling me with a bullhorn and I _had_ to use it."

From that point, he decided not to divulge the next few details. "It didn't stop there either" he cried, "I couldn't watch TV, I couldn't read my comics anywhere else in the house and my parents were too cowardly to even lift a finger!" Though she could already foresee the answer, Judge Snapper turned towards Mr. Loud and asked if what Lincoln said was true.

"It...It is true, Your Honor" he murmured shamefully, "when their fights esculate _that_ high, the girls can get dangerous and neither me or my wife can handle it very well." He then confessed how this was especially true whenever the Protocol was enacted. With that statement, everyone's interests were piqued and they asked for further information on this "protocol" the Loud Children had.

"Well...it's not really for _all_ my kids, technically speaking" Lynn admitted, "it's something my daughters created _specifically_ for themselves, they call it...the 'Sister Fight Protocol.'" After that, someone from the Loud Family's desk stood up and asked to approach the bench. Upon hearing this sudden voice, everyone expected to see the Louds' lawyer to appear.

But instead, they saw a little girl with wide glasses approach the bench. "Mr. Loud, I was expecting your lawyer to step forward" Judge Snapper said firmly, "what is one of your daughters doing here?" Almost immediately, Lisa revealed that she herself would be representing her family.

"Due to my family's current financial state...as well as the fact that this situation has labeled us into social pariahs, no lawyer was willing to represent us" Lisa explained, "with this in mind, I've decided to take up the responsibility myself." As expected, this idea was met with a great deal of laughter from everyone in the room. "With all due respect, young lady; you're just a child" Ms. Baldur said matter-of-factly, "how do you know what it means to be a lawyer?" I

n response; Lisa revealed that along with her scientific knowledge, she also dabbled a little in law studies (for whenever she wanted to "be spontaneous.") At first, the judge felt eager to deny Lisa's request to act as her family's lawyer. But when she realized that so few others were willing to help, she had no other choice but to allow it...for now.

"Before we continue, let me remind you of one thing" Judge Snapper said firmly, "as your family's acting lawyer, you are to question _both_ sides impartially and without signs of favoritism." To finish her point; she revealed that her position would be revoked, should Lisa fail to obey this rule. Once Lisa agreed to the terms, the judge then questioned _her_ on the matters of this "Sister Fight Protocol."

"Seeing as how we are pressed for time, I shall try to explain as best as I can" Lisa stated, "could someone wheel in the projector and screen I asked for, please?" No sooner had she said this, a burly man (revealed to be Luna's roadie, Chunk) brought in the items in question. Upon seeing all this, Mr. Bush (the third of Lincoln's lawyers) cried "objection" and demanded to know what was going on.

"Objection overruled" murmured the judge, "I'll allow the young lady to bring these in...on the condition that this is part of her testimony." Lisa thanked Judge Snapper for her gesture and said that the projector would help provide visual aids to help in her explanation. Once everything was ready, Lisa turned on the projector and revealed the first slide; which showed Lori and Leni quarreling.

"Whenever two sisters in our household are caught in a fight that is...shall we say, far more vicious than others; the Sister Fight Protocol is enacted" she explained, "during this time, both parties are encouraged to remain as far apart from each other as possible until the fighting ends." At this point; Ms. Baldur asked how the bathroom, television and kitchen were part of this. "During the protocol, the two sides are openly welcome to claim whatever room in the house they desire to be their 'cooling space'" Lisa replied, "as for the television, it is best for everything to be as silent as possible; so as not to spark any form of tension between both sides."

To explain; she said that if someone were to play something like...a wrestling match on the television, one or both sides would become agitated by the noise. "This would inevitably lead to both sisters becoming violent with each other" Lisa stated, "thus, the television must remain off; regardless of what one might miss." At first, everyone was willing to go along with the idea of the protocol because everyone needed a momentary "safe space;" for one reason or another.

But after hearing about Lincoln having to eat couch food or use a bucket for bathroom purposes, that idea quickly went out the window. "So, did your brother try to help resolve things" questioned Ms. Baldur, "considering he's your designated 'man with the plan?'" With a heavy heart, Lisa revealed that he did indeed try to help.

But then, it was revealed that both she and the rest of the Loud Sisters strongly encouraged him not to get involved. "With all due respect, young lady; Lincoln is your only brother and he obviously values your family's well-being" Judge Snapper said firmly, "so, why should he not get involved?" Before anyone could offer up a reasonable reply; Lori and Lynn suddenly stepped in and said "it's a sister thing, you wouldn't understand."

This response seemed to create a moderate amount of outrage within the room. "So...let me see if I understand you correctly" questioned Ms. Baldur as calmly as she could, "you told your brother not to get involved...because your fight was considered...a 'sister thing?'" Almost immediately, Leni quickly chimed in with a sudden and quick "yup."

Alas, this was not the sort of reply neither the lawyer nor the judge wanted to hear. "In all the years I've worked as the head judge of this town, I've heard many stories from people" Judge Snapper murmured, "but what you girls said has to be, without a doubt...the _BIGGEST LOAD OF BULLCRAP I'VE EVER HEARD!" _Surprised by the woman's choice of words; the crowd let out loud gasps of shock, while the two officers watching over her did their best to cover little Lily's ears.

"I'm afraid I must agree with the judge on this" Ms. Baldur stated, "the entire idea of the protocol seems not only nonsensical...but also grossly unfair." As Lincoln continued, he said that every attempt he made to get his sisters to stop fighting just seemed to make things worse. "Flustered; I went to the McBride house to be with my best friend, Clyde" he explained, "when I came back, in the morning...the girls were back to normal and getting along again."

Once he finished, Lynn immediately said that everything worked out the minute Lincoln left the house. "So, you're saying that if your brother wasn't around...like, _at all;_ none of you would've fought in the first place" prodded Ms. Baldur, "because where I'm standing, that's what it sounds like." Feeling offended, Lori tried to defend herself; proclaiming she said no such thing.

As the two ladies prepared to get into a verbal lashing, Judge Snapper slammed her gavel hard upon the surface of her podium and called for order. "First of all, Miss Loud; should you act up like that again and you'll be restrained in your seat" she decreed, "second of all, your brother still has the floor." Reluctantly, Lori took her seat again and the judge asked for Lincoln to continue.

"Okay...now that you know what the protocol is, here's how things went down that Friday Night" he explained, "long story short; as Lori and Leni started fighting again, I thought it would be best to just lock my door and read my comics quietly until it was over." With a sarcastic chuckle; he said that if his presence just made things worse, he may as well keep himself far away from his sisters. "Sadly, I couldn't really concentrate on my reading" Lincoln sighed, "even with my door shut, I could still hear Lori and Leni roaring at each other like a couple of hungry lionesses!"

With this reveal, Mr. Burns questioned why Lincoln couldn't simply use earplugs to block out the noise. "I tried that once before" he replied, "it worked, at first...until my dumb sisters nearly gave me a heart attack." While he mentally hit himself for saying such things about them; when it came to the memory in question, he knew he had to say what needed to be said.

"Not only did they manipulate/trick me into thinking me 'ignoring' Lola would put me in harms way" he began, "but they said it was all to 'teach me a lesson.'" Once again, someone on the Louds' side cried out in objection. This time, it was Lola who wanted the floor and Judge Snapper granted it to her.

"He's right, we _did_ do all that to teach him a lesson" the young pageant princess confessed, "it was meant to teach him that family shouldn't ignore each other...not to mention that we _all_ had to deal with the noise as well." In spite of her testimony, there were some in the room that thought the girls couldn't have it worse than Lincoln did. "It's true, it's especially so for me" she whined, "as a member of many pageants across Michigan, I need a great deal of rest to keep my beauty looking flawless."

After this; she revealed how her siblings arguing, Luna's music playing, Lynn's sports practices and whatever else happens in the house often hinders her aforementioned rest. "If I don't get my proper eight to nine hours of beauty sleep; in the morning, I look like a mess" she grumbled, "and messes are _never_ beautiful." Rather than be swayed by her statement, Mr. Bush said that whoever taught her the ideas of "true beauty" should be beaten senseless.

"The truth is, young lady; _real_ beauty isn't about looks" he stated, "it's all in the attitude, one's personality...and to be frank; all nine of you have personalities that are as foul as sewage water." Utterly offended by these words, Rita stood up and proclaimed that no one had the right to speak to her children that way. "I would advise that you return to your seat, Ma'am" Judge Snapper said firmly, "you may be the head of your family...but this is _my_ house and in here, _I _make the rules."

In that moment, Rita felt poised to give the woman a bigger piece of her mind. But regardless of her feelings, the future of her family was at stake and she realized she couldn't risk it. So; reluctantly, she took her seat back and Lincoln was asked to continue his story.

"To get to the point, I decided to leave my house; considering how I wouldn't be able to find peace in there during the stupid fighting" he grumbled, "earplugs or no earplugs." After that, he described how he intended to go to one of his favorite hangouts until everything blew over. "But then, I discovered I didn't have enough money on hand" he said sadly, "not only would I not be able to visit Gus', Flip's, the Mall or anywhere else; I wouldn't have enough money to afford bus fare to take me anywhere."

Upon hearing this, Judge Snapper asked if he had any allowance on hand. "I did...but it was barely enough" he replied, "with so many kids in my family, life can be expensive...not to mention that we practically kill each other over something as small as a penny." With these words, the court didn't know who to feel more disappointed in; Lincoln, his sisters or their parents.

"So, I thought about returning home and hiding somewhere" Lincoln murmured, "then, some lights shined on me and I heard a horn blaring from behind!" When asked what it was that caused this; Carol rose up from her seat, shyly giggled and revealed it was her doing. "We saw Lincoln walking around, while my pals and I were out for a drive" she stated, "when we found out why he was out so late, we offered him a lift to Gus' Games and Grub."

After that, Lincoln revealed that's where he met many of the other girls he's been spending time with. "We ate, played some games and then...then, I told them all what happened to me" he stated, "I guess when their folks came to pick them up, everyone started telling _their_ friends and families about me...I didn't mean for everything else to happen." After that, Ms. Baldur said she had no further questions for him and the defense rested.

Then, Lisa decided to approach him and started asking her own questions. "Dearest Brother, you claim that you did not wish for any of our misfortunes to happen; after news spread about our living situation" she began, "but did you ever once consider that maybe, perhaps you shouldn't have spoken at all?" Confused, Lincoln asked for a clearer explanation of her words.

"Think about it, this all happened because of the stories you told your new friends" Lisa prodded, "if you had simply chosen to remain silent and act as though all was well, our status within this town would still be in tact." From that point, she went on to say how their parents would still be employed and none of their sisters or her compatriots would've "abandoned them" as they did. "No, that's not what happened" Lincoln said defensively, "I...I was just talking with the girls, the stress was becoming too much for me and I had to do something!"

The moment he said this, Lori cried out how he had no idea what "real stress" was. "While the rest of us are literally working hard and pushing ourselves to succeed; all you do is lay around, reading comics in your undies" she roared, "now, thanks to you..._we're left with almost nothing!" _As both she and Lisa continued to yell at him, Lincoln's anxiety from days ago came rushing back like a flash flood.

This time however, it caused him to pant wildly; as if he had ran a thousand miles. "Face it, twerp; you did this to us" Lynn growled, "rather than face our family's drama head on like the rest of us; you went and blabbed to strangers and now, we're in court..._THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!_" Again and again, Lincoln tried to put on a brave face for everyone.

But just like what happened days before, Lincoln's stress became too much to bear until...he finally broke down. With his fists clenched at his sides, tears pouring from his eyes like waterfalls and his body quivering with sorrow; he fell to his knees and cried/screamed. "YES...YES, IT'S TRUE; IT'S ALL TRUE" he wailed loudly, "I'M THE ONE WHO SHOULD BE PUNISHED HERE TODAY, _I'M_ THE REAL CRIMINAL!"

With this outburst echoing through the room, Lincoln fell face down onto the floor and began to sob loudly; all while muttering to himself "it's all my fault" repeatedly. The entire court was at a complete loss, after everything they've witnessed. After a while, Judge Snapper asked the bailiff to help escort Lincoln out of the room for a moment; so that he could calm down.

The bailiff did just that and did his best to carefully help Lincoln off the ground. As he slowly made his way over to the back room door, Lincoln sniffled softly and looked over his shoulder towards his family. Before leaving; he tearfully uttered the words "I'm sorry, you guys...I'm so sorry" to them as best as he could.

When they saw the look of regret on his face, the girls felt as though they'd been shot fifty times through the heart. Meanwhile, Lynn simply muttered how much of a "crybaby" he was being; whereas Lori simply rolled her eyes in indifference. Once Lincoln had left, Judge Snapper looked back towards the rest of the family.

"Well, Mr. Loud...I hope you and your wife are satisfied" she murmured bitterly, "no matter who's at fault in this matter; because of the actions three of your daughters exhibited just now, it might've put your son in severe psychological stress!" After this, the judge let out a bitter sigh and asked if the Louds had anything to say about this. For a moment or two, none of them dared to speak; afraid that if they did, it would put them into even hotter water.

But in the end; Leni, Luan, Lana and even Lola came up with only a single small reply..."we're sorry?" Sadly this only made things worse for them and the judge was poised to hold them in contempt. But, in the end; she decided to be fair and allowed them the chance to try and earn their forgiveness.

But that also meant that the trial would still be going on, much to their dismay. "I don't care how many days this goes on for, I don't care how long the jury will have to work towards to reach a verdict" she decreed, "no matter what, this matter _will_ be resolved and someone here _will_ face justice!" The remaining Loud Family members grew incredibly nervous from the woman's tone, even Lori and Lynn started to sweat a little.

But in the end, they all agreed to continue (some reluctantly so) until the final verdict was reached. With that, the time came for the next witnesses to be called. "Thank you for that, Your Honor" said Ms. Baldur, "I now call to the stand...Miss Carol Pingrey!"

Upon hearing her name, young Carol couldn't help but go stiff as a board with nervousness. She had never been called to the witness stand before. For that matter; before today, she'd never been in court before.

Thus, she was unsure of how she should behave or what to say. But then, at that moment; everyone could faintly hear Lincoln's cries from inside one of the back rooms. When she and the Gal Pals heard this, they were reminded of how much Lincoln tried to be strong; not just for their sake...but _his_ as well.

But whenever he faltered, they were always there to help him smile again. She was also reminded of how much he tried to make _them_ smile during the time they all spent together. Thinking of all this caused some small tears to slightly form in her eyes.

Then, after she took a moment to wipe the tears away; Carol stood up from her seat and approached the witness stand. _"Hold tight, Linky" _Carol thought to herself_ "one way or another, we'll help you get through this...somehow."_

(First AN: And so, it begins; what will happen once Carol and other witnesses are called up, what sort of things will be said during their times at the stand...and who will survive emotionally in the end? Find out next time, as the Loud Family Trial continues.)

(Second AN: The figures mentioned in this, namely the newsman, Ted Macalister and Judge Agatha Sharp are my own creations. Judge Sharp is loosely inspired off of Judge Judy, a woman who I feel could easily put the Loud Girls in their place.)

(Third AN: For those wondering why Lori and Lynn are in cuffs right now. Because they've been acting as the most...shall we say, emotionally unstable of the lot lately; the police thought it best to keep the two of them restrained...should they act up again. Their behavior at the psychiatrist a chapter or so ago is proof that this is indeed, necessary.)

(Fourth AN: Along with Brawl in the Family and No Such Luck, this chapter also contained some references to Brawl in the Family; another episode that showed the girls in a rather negative light. If you all enjoy it, you're welcome to do so...but it's one of the few episodes of the series that I absolutely _HAAAAATE!_)

(Fifth AN: If you think Lisa's methods at questioning Lisa at the stand are mean, I'm sorry. Not only did I make _her_ the Loud Family's lawyer as a means to show how she can be...mildly arrogant in her abilities. But I based it her behavior at the stand on the fact that she isn't quite that observant on the feelings of others; as seen when she first meet her classmate, Darcy in Friend or Faux.

Even though she learned her lesson, after the events of the episode; what happened here was basically Lisa having a bit of a...mental relapse into that former part of herself. I hope I explained that well enough.)

(Sixth AN: Going by what the Wiki page says about her, I did my best to describe Aunt Ruth's living conditions. Ironically enough; I figured said conditions must be terrible, considering how the page describes Ruth as unhealthy and a slob. But If I'm wrong, sorry.)

(Final AN: I hope the trial makes sense to you all, thus far. This first half was meant to show off opening testimonies from Lincoln and some members of his family. What happens next will involve any witnesses called up, the reviewing of any evidence presented, closing arguments and finally, the verdict.

All this could take a while to do; so, I hope I can count on your continuing patience and support. Thank you and have a pleasant day.)


	26. Chapter Twenty-Five: The Trial - Pt Two

The Trial - Part Two: Witness Testimonies

After taking the oath of truth, Carol let out some calming breaths and took her seat in the witness booth. Afterwards, Ms. Baldur approached her and gave her a rather gentle gaze. "Ms. Pingrey...you've been with Mr. Loud for almost half a month, yes" she asked, earning a light nod from Carol; "have you both been friends for a long time or was this "friendship" of yours something that only happened just recently?"

Though the question did make her feel...a smidge uncomfortable, she agreed to answer truthfully and that's what she planned to do. "You are correct, we've only started becoming friends days before Spring Break began" she explained, "before that...I knew _of_ Lincoln but mostly through the pictures and/or status updates his sister, Lori would post online that revolved around her family." After that, Carol went on to describe the "Selfie Race" she and Lori found themselves in; which took place long before the events in question occurred.

"A race, you say" inquired Ms. Baldur, "what was the purpose of this 'race,' was there some kind of prize to be had?" With a slight shrug of her shoulders, Carol added that she never intended it to become some sort of contest. "It was mostly just me posting selfies on my Social Media page" she stated, "I'd post pics of myself doing gardening, going on a picnic with my friends, me hanging out with my pet corgi; those sort of things."

As everyone listened, many people couldn't help but think just how typical the scenario sounded. In the grand scheme of things, taking and posting selfies online just seemed like normal teenage behavior. So, how did this "contest" between her and Lori Loud come into being in the first place?

"Lori only started posting loads of selfies after I did mine" Carol stated, "apparently, she always seemed to think I was always 'better than her.'" Though the phrase wasn't spoken out of malice or sarcasm, the court (and even Carol herself) still couldn't help but think the whole thing sounded rather ridiculous. Meanwhile, Ms. Baldur turned her attention towards Lori and asked for _her_ input on this.

"It's a teen thing, lady; adults like you wouldn't understand" she said bluntly, "but to put it simply, she and I have been at odds since we were little kids." Lori then proceeded to list all the ways Carol would "one up" on her, regardless if it was something she loved or hated. "Seriously, do you people have any idea on how stressful it is to work hard at something...only to be shown up by someone else later on" she said exasperatedly, "because I literally had to deal with that for all my life!"

Surprisingly, both the judge _and_ Ms. Baldur couldn't help but empathize with her...to a degree. It _can_ be quite annoying to come in second best to someone you viewed as your "superior." But at the same time, everyone could tell there was more to the story and the court asked Carol to continue.

"For an entire day, I kept getting all sorts of notifications on my phone; all involving Lori" she stated, "then, I saw all of the pics she had taken...and a few actually impressed me." Carol then confessed that she was one of the people who gave Lori a like on some of the photos she posted. Upon hearing this reveal, Lori's angry demeanor slightly gave way to one of shock.

First, she comes to learn that her "greatest rival" actually felt jealous of _her_ and now...she learns that _she_ helped lend a hand in gaining some of her photo popularity? She didn't know whether to feel angry, sad, ashamed of herself...or some combination of the three. Meanwhile, Carol continued to explain the nature of the "contest" between her and Lori to the court.

"After a while, the whole thing started to get outta control" she admitted, "not only was the corgi I had in my one picture often mean to me, back then but Lori also absentmindedly roped her boyfriend into the whole thing." To help drive her point home; she said that on that day, Lori managed to get her boyfriend into a picnic selfie. "Of course, he just had his wisdom teeth pulled out mere hours apart from the moment in question" Carol stated, "in spite of the swelling he had and that he was recovering from the Anesthesia, Bobby still agreed to help Lori."

The crowd murmured a soft "aww" in response to this, mentally praising the boy's level of dedication to his girlfriend's wishes...however shortsighted they were. "So, what happened after that" questioned Ms. Baldur, "and how did Lincoln himself become involved?" From there, Carol explained how she was in the midst of a shopping trip at the store.

At one point; she and Lori met, the latter girl said she no longer wished to "compete with her" and that she was content with being who she was. "After hearing her; I was rather surprised, to be honest" Carol said with a slight chuckle, "I mean...I always felt _Lori _was the better one of us; not me." She mentioned how much she admired Lori for everything she had and achieved; from her hair with the "perfect volume," the fact she made the High School Varsity Golf Team when they were only Freshmen and most importantly, how much her siblings seemed to look up to her (emotionally speaking.)

"After that; we decided to put our whole rivalry to bed and we became friends, soon after" she said with great pride, "as for Lincoln...well, I knew _of_ him from one or two separate occasions." When asked what those occasions were, Carol answered with the first being when she saw him in a few of Lori's pictures and the second being when he asked her to pose with him on a family portrait. With this reveal, everyone began to question why Lincoln wanted someone else in a _family_ photo?

"If I may speak up, Your Honor" Lisa chimed in suddenly, "my brother brought in Ms. Pingrey for the photograph in order to help create the 'perfect' gift for our parents' anniversary; which was to be a family portrait." From there, she added how he tried to make everyone appear more "normal," if not perfect. But when Lori said she didn't want to be part of it, Lincoln replied how he considered "replacing her;" thus bringing Carol into the picture (figuratively and literally speaking.)

"This all seems like a great deal of work for a simple gift" Judge Snapper stated, "for _my_ birthday; my kids often make me handmade things like cards, clay flower pots and my youngest granddaughter even made me a painting, once." The crowd murmured softly with approval, while the Loud Sisters seemed to simply hang their heads in shame. Their parents also seemed to shrink slightly, upon hearing the judge's story.

This change in body language did not go unnoticed by Ms. Baldur or her associates. "Why do you hang your heads that way" questioned Mr. Burns, "you look as though you've done something wrong." Soon after that, Lynn Sr. let out a long sigh and confessed that they _did _do such a thing; though inadvertently.

"For some time, Lincoln always made handmade mugs for my wife and I for our anniversaries" he admitted, "of course; at the time, his creative skills weren't quite...honed in yet. So...we..." It didn't take long for everyone to notice the man was hesitating and they were determined to learn why. "Speak up, Mr. Loud" Mr. Burns urged slightly, "if you hadn't done anything...too wrong, you needn't fear confessing."

Finally, after forty seconds of silence; Lynn growled shamefully and admitted he put all of Lincoln's mugs up in the attic. To help provide proof, Ms. Balder asked for Mathers (one of the Social Services officers who apprehended the Loud Sisters) to bring in the evidence in question. After that, the main doors suddenly opened and an officer walked in with a large box in his arms.

On this box were the words "DO NOT OPEN" written in bold lettering with red marker. With permission from the judge, the officer opened the box; revealing a massive amount of handmade mugs inside. There was a mix of soft gasping and confused murmuring from those within the gallery, upon seeing the box's contents.

Judge Snapper, on the other hand found herself giving the Loud Parents a cold glare; as if appearing displeased by this. "Care to explain this, Mr. Loud" she asked in a soft voice, "because from the looks of the writing, it seems like you never wanted these mugs to be seen...by _anyone._" Lynn Sr. found himself sweating profusely, his mind desperately thinking of some form of an answer to her inquiry.

Finally, just as he took in a deep breath to speak; Leni suddenly stood up from her seat and said "of course he hid them, every one of those mugs looked like a mess." To say that the people of the court room, Carol included, were deeply offended by her words would be a gross understatement. Then, mere seconds after she said her words; Leni suddenly realized her mistake and facepalmed herself.

_"Leni...you stupid moron" _she growled mentally_ "you're trying to help your family get Linky back, not make things worse!"_ Meanwhile, the crowd was still muttering their overall disapproval towards the Loud Parents' choice to toss aside Lincoln's gifts. After seeing the box's contents and hearing the earlier story, Carol now understood why Lincoln desired her assistance (however misguided his desires were.)

Suddenly, Judge Snapper knocked her gavel upon her podium; requesting for order in the court. Once everyone went silent, Carol was free to continue her story. "As you already heard from Lincoln; he left his house one Friday night, while his sisters were in another big fight" she explained, "apparently, this all happened after Lori lost against me at a golf game."

This statement led to everyone (sans the Loud Family) to ask the same question, how could a loss at a golf game lead to ten sisters fighting each other so viciously? As a response, Carol brought up the protocol Lincoln mentioned earlier; along with Lincoln desiring to leave before things got too heated. "I was driving with two of my friends, Whitney and Becky; that night" she stated, "everything was going normally, until B spotted Lincoln walking all by his lonesome on the sidewalk."

Ms. Baldur nodded silently in understanding and then, she asked what happened after they spotted him. "Well...I gave the horn a bit of a blast" she said while trying to suppress a giggle, "it was just a gesture in good fun...but when _he_ heard it, the poor guy almost leapt out of his skin." From there, she mentioned offering Lincoln a lift to Gus' Games n' Grub; thinking he could use a fun night and he accepted.

"Where did the other young ladies fall into play in Lincoln's situation" questioned Judge Snapper, "I'm guessing _they_ were already at the establishment in question?" Carol nodded and said that everyone, with the exception of Dana, was at Gus' as well; having a good time. "Everything was going well...until we asked Lincoln why he left his house in the first place, Carol murmured, "that's when the stories began."

After that, Ms. Baldur said that she didn't have anymore questions for Carol took a step back. Afterwards, Lisa (still serving as her family's lawyer) took the floor and approached Carol. "Ms. Pingrey...if I might call you that" she muttered, "you say that my brother told you stories, while you were at Gus' Games n' Grub." Before continuing, she took a moment to clean a smudge off her glasses.

Once finished, Lisa continued her session by asking Carol what sort of stories her brother mentioned. "I don't really see why I should tell _you,_ of all people about this" the teen grumbled, "but seeing that I'm under oath, one of those stories was something he called the 'Bad Luck Incident.'" Recalling Lincoln's earlier words regarding Lynn Jr.'s obsession with luck, the judge asked what happened during the alleged incident.

"To start with, the other Louds weren't the only ones at fault during the whole thing" Carol said firmly, "Lincoln himself admitted that he purposefully damaged some things in the house, leading everyone to believe he was bad luck." Upon mentioning this, the court suddenly started to question Lincoln's integrity; wondering just how innocent Lincoln was. Upon sensing the shift in the room's mood, Ms. Baldur quickly intervened.

"If it pleases the court, I would like to add something to Ms. Pingrey's story" she said firmly, "the family would not have even considered the idea of luck, good or bad, if Ms. Lynn never brought it up to begin with." To help elaborate; Carol mentioned that when Lincoln _did_ attend the game, his sister lost it...and declared it only happened because _he_ was there. The family couldn't help but flinch, upon recalling how upset Lynn was that day.

"As for everyone believing the bad luck nonsense, Lincoln only did it so the family would give him some space" Carol stated, "during the earlier portion of that week, Lincoln overextended himself ten times over with his other sisters." It was here that Ms. Baldur brought up an observation report on her phone. Said report was made by Agent McKenzie, another of the Social Service workers who apprehended the girls earlier that week.

"According to this Social Services report; Lincoln was asked to attend three to five extracurricular activities a day, after school during that week" she explained, "these include assisting some sisters with practice for upcoming events, serving as his eldest sister's caddie, acting as his sister, Lola's pageant coach and other things." She then approached the projector that was brought in earlier and brought up an image of the family's weekly schedule. Aside from the usual meal time schedules, school hours and curfew times; the near majority of it was vastly color coated.

It didn't take long for everyone to realize that each color represented a specific sister (ex. light blue for Lori, green for Leni, black for Lucy, purple for Luna etc.) What truly surprised everyone was how there seemed to be little space for free time for Lincoln to spare. "Goodness, I haven't seen this much color since the last Pride Parade I attended" Judge Sharp stated, "how do you balance out attending so many things?"

In response; Lynn Sr. simply said that while not easy, the family always tried to attend everything the family does. While the idea of balancing such a schedule _was_ admirable, there was no denying that having so much to do in one week proved quite overwhelming. "So, let us see if we understand correctly" murmured Mr. Bush, "by your logic, your son and all others in your family _must_ attend _every_ event that is happening in the week; regardless of how long certain events are or where they might happen?"

Upon being asked this, Lynn Sr. could immediately sense the flaw in their family support plan and hesitated. Alas, the lawyer grew rather anxious and demanded that he answer the question forthwith. "I can explain, I really can" Lynn muttered nervously, "well...I mean, when it comes to family; one must...I mean, that is to say..." It didn't take long for anyone to realize the man was stalling and Judge Snapper immediately snapped him back to his senses by slamming her gavel slightly.

"Mr. Loud, I shouldn't have to remind you that you are under oath" she grumbled irritably, "should you fail to speak up, we will have no choice but to punish you for withholding information!" The Loud Sisters couldn't help but go pale at this threat; for when one is in court, withholding knowledge while under oath is just as big of a crime as lying. Finally; Lynn Jr. let out a deep groan, rose from her seat and threw his hands in the air in exasperation.

"FINE! What you're saying is true, alright" she shouted, "but so what; aren't families supposed to support one another, no matter what?!" The judge slammed her gavel firmly and reminded Lynn not to speak to her in such a tone again. "While it _is_ true, young lady that families _should_ be supportive; there _are_ limits that one must consider" she stated, "as such, anyone would find it hard to keep vigilant with _this_ kind of a weekly schedule."

As the crowd looked at the image, they were amazed by how ten young ladies could be involved in so much. Even the other Gal Pals were astounded by this, much to their own surprise. Moving on from there; Carol said that after Lincoln was declared "bad luck," the family decided to keep him as far away as possible.

"If it pleases the court, let us recap for a moment" murmured Mr. Burns, "my client was first threatened to attend the aforementioned baseball game, was later called out as 'bad luck' by his sister and later helped the lie continue by wrecking several of his family's possessions." While Lincoln winced slightly at the mentioning of the third example, he knew that his lawyer was building up to some sort of point and continued listening. "While such actions _are_ quite heinous, admittedly; I ask you...what else could've been done?"

Moving on from there, Carol decided to reiterate Lynn Sr./Mr. Loud's earlier statement; that them pushing Lincoln away was all for the sake of "teaching him a lesson." But then, she was poised to bring up everything the Louds did in order to "get their point across." As she started listing each example; the court's verbal reactions ranged from disgusted groans, horrified gasps and displeased whispering.

"They did things like lock him out of the house, made him think they burned his stuff (even though it was just collections of broken wood) in hopes it would all help 'clean the air of the bad mojo' and even forced him to sleep in the doghouse" Carol cried, "but none of _that_ compares to what happened next." After that, something was then wheeled into the room; bearing the label "Exhibit A" on the box." When the box was opened, the bailiff brought out the Royal Woods Squirrels mascot costume.

As Ms. Baldur placed the head upon the evidence table for all to see, the Louds (even Lori and Lynn Jr.) found themselves shivering nervously. "This suit may not look like much to you all, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury" she began, "but it's actually part of something that has a big role in Lincoln's ordeal during the 'Bad Luck Incident.'" After that, Carol was prepared to explain what happened next; when the backroom doors slowly opened.

Afterwards, Lincoln came slinking out slowly; as if in a trance. His face bore a haggard expression, his arms dangled loosely at his sides, his eyes were bloodshot from crying and his cheeks bore dry streaks left by the tears he shed earlier. Everyone murmured softly, the moment they looked over Lincoln's demeanor.

His family was also quite shocked by it...with the current exceptions being Lori and Lynn Jr. Back with Lincoln, an officer draped a comforting blanket over his shoulders and patted his back gently. "Are you sure you wanna come back out, pal" the man asked with concern, "because if you ain't comfortable, we can let you sit the rest of the trial out."

Just as Lincoln was about to answer, he caught sight of the squirrel mascot head and then...something snapped inside of him. His eyes narrowed, his fists clenched tightly, his arms started quivering and every breath he let out through his nose seemed to radiate pure, unbridled rage. Then, after billowing out a vicious battle cry; Lincoln suddenly rushed forward and lunged at the mascot suit like a lion pouncing on its prey.

Afterwards; Lincoln, much to the shock of everyone in the room, proceeded to viciously assault the costume. The whole time he did, he proceeded to scream things like "LEAVE ME ALONE" or "WHY WON'T YOU DIE?!" At one point, as he grabbed hold of the suit's head; he proceeded to growl the word "die" repeatedly while pounding viciously at the thing's nose.

The moment Lincoln tore it off and threw into the air, this brought the court to take immediate action. Without hesitation, the officer that stood with him a moment ago gently took Lincoln by the shoulders and did his best to pull him back. The whole time he did, Lincoln kept trying to break free; wanting nothing more than to finish off his "enemy."

But after a while; Lincoln stopped resisting, fell back into the officer's arms and sobbed wildly. "Why...Why won't that thing just _die_" he murmured sadly, "I don't want to go in there anymore." As Lincoln continued crying, every other eye in the room turned towards the Louds. "Why would your son have such hatred over a mascot costume, of all things; Mr. Loud" questioned Judge Snapper, "you and your family wouldn't happen to have had a hand in this outburst...would you?"

Feeling threatened, Lynn Jr. stood up and proclaimed that they had nothing to do with the costume. "That whole schpiel was my brother's idea, all of it" she said firmly, "he disguised himself in that suit in order to sneak into my game and watch me play!" In spite of Lynn Jr.'s words, the court gave her looks of both disbelief and uncertainty.

"That's only _half_ of the story, Missy" Carol said firmly, "wait until the court hears the whole thing." From there; she revealed how after Lincoln snuck into the game (while in disguise,) nothing bad happened. After that, not only did Lynn win the game in the end but nobody got hurt and nothing got damaged.

"From that point, those 'geniuses' over there got the idea that Lincoln must be 'good luck' after all" Carol said sarcastically while pointing at the Loud Family, "but then...they thought it was only possible whenever he was in that stupid getup." After that, she brought up the beach day the family had; days after the game victory. At this point, Lincoln had enough strength in him to growl softly and jab his finger in his family's direction.

"_They_ had me standing on the beach in that costume for _hours_" he shouted, "I couldn't soak myself in the water, stand in the shade or even get ice cream to cool myself off!" It was then that everyone remembered seeing the pictures shown on the news, specifically those of Lincoln's sunburned back. With this in mind, there were soft murmurs of "guilty" from almost all around the Loud Family.

Before anything else could be said, Lynn cried out in protest saying that it all happened because of Lincoln's "dumb choices." "If he'd just manned up, came to all our stuff and not whine about losing any time to goof off; none of that would've happened" she growled, "he could've been chilling with the rest of us like normal!" The other members of the Louds (sans Lori) simply shook their heads in disappointment, all while muttering for Lynn to shut up...if she valued her freedom.

"Thankfully, when he went with me and the rest of our friends to the spa; the lotions they used for his massage helped clean up the marks" Carol said with relief, "otherwise...I dare not think about what would happen later." After that, there were no further questions to be had and Carol was given permission to take her seat again. After thanking the court for their time, Carol rose from the stand and made her way back to her earlier seat.

But before she went any further, Carol looked behind her and saw Lincoln trembling sadly in the arms of the officer who helped calm him during his earlier breakdown. Without a moment's pause; she approached the two fellows, requested to stand in for the officer and scooped Lincoln up into her arms. "There, there; it's okay, Linky" she said in a hushed tone, "you're safe now...I'm here."

As the Loud Sisters watched the scene unfold, some of them couldn't help but feel a little jealous. "That's how _I_ used to hold him when he was little" Luna murmured, "and he did the same thing for the little dudes too." Upon hearing this, Lana and Lola nodded their heads in unison while sniffling; even Lisa felt a twinge of nostalgia run through her.

At that moment, Mrs. Loud questioned how Carol knew Lincoln always felt calmer; whenever he was held this way. To which Jordan tapped her shoulder and murmured "Lincoln told us; whenever he had nightmares, you or one of the girls would do this to help him stop crying." The Loud Family was amazed to hear that Lincoln passed this knowledge onto someone he only knew for a short time.

"Lincoln's had quite a few nightmares, while he was with us" Haiku muttered, "so, we did our best to help him keep calm in any way we could." Again, the Louds were left speechless; while they remained at home trying to stop World War 4, Lincoln was being given proper TLC in the homes of his new friends. If they didn't feel like they were slipping in their roles as parents and sisters to Lincoln before, they certainly were now.

After two minutes, Lincoln was calm enough to be let back onto the floor. "Thanks for helping me there, Carol" he said gratefully, "I almost lost my head back there." The moment he said this, Luan looked towards the torn remains of the Squirrels mascot head and was prepared to make a joke based on her brother's words.

But before she could utter even the smallest word, Lola forcefully clamped her hand over the comedienne's mouth. "Luan, if you value your life; do _not_ make another one of your dumb jokes" she said threateningly, "if you do, I'll rip Mr. Coconuts apart; splinter by splinter!" The usual comedic member of the family suddenly burned red with rage, after hearing her sister's words.

Whether it was the jab at her sense of humor or threatening to harm her prize dummy, it resulted in the same way; it pushed Luan over the edge. "If you hurt my pal, I'll throw a glitter bomb into your room that's so huge; you'll be coughing up sparkles for weeks" she growled, "don't think I'll do it...just try me!" With this counter threat, the two girls threw themselves into a small fight; one that was stopped within six seconds by Judge Snapper's thundering hammer.

All became as silent as the grave, after that; which allowed Lincoln to take his place with the other Gal Pals. Carol followed after them, not a second later; while giving the family a minor death glare along the way. "After that outburst, I think it's time someone else to take the stand" suggested Mr. Bush, "on that note, I'm going with the wee 'princess' there."

With a mixture of nervousness and some minor bits of sass swirling inside of her, Lola took her place at the witness stand. As the female lawyer, Ms. Baldur approached her; Lola hoped she would go easy on her because of her age. Sadly, she would later realize that this would only go so far.

"Young lady, we may as well dispense with asking your occupation; seeing as how your attire shows us the answer already" quipped Ms. Baldur, "on another note, how would you describe your relationship with my client?" Not used to being in these sorts of situations, Lola did her best to think up an answer. "Uh...well, I guess we get along okay" she admitted, "I mean; he tries to make time for my tea parties, he does his best to keep me and my twin sister from clobbering each other and he's really good at coaching me for my pageants!"

As Lola went on; Lincoln, in spite of his mind still being mildly frazzled from his earlier episode, felt touched that his sister still remembered the good he did for her. "That's one of the things I actually love about my brother" Lola confessed, "unlike most boys his age, _he_ has no problem with indulging in both boy _or _girl things." As proof; she listed the many times he helped paint hers or Lucy's nails, how he helped Leni with her sewing and even brought up how much fun they have watching The Dream Boat together.

"A boy who is open to his feminine side and still participates in 'boy activities'...wow, that's something I rarely hear about" Ms. Baldur said with a light chuckle, "but...what of the things you _don't_ love about him that only _he_ enjoys?" Upon being asked this, Lola suddenly became nervous; wondering whether or not she should speak up. But then, she looked over at Lincoln, who was sitting in his chair, and saw him giving a look that seemed to say "go ahead...tell them, I won't get mad."

"Well, there are very few things that Linky does that I don't enjoy" she stated, "the main one being how he likes reading in his underwear." At the mention of this, Lynn Sr. and Rita suddenly started shushing her; believing such matters should be private. But then, some people in the room mentioned how they themselves had similar tastes.

"I don't really see the problem there" Judge Snapper murmured, "what one does in their own home is their choice." She herself even admitted to wishing she could spend all day in her nightgown, when she's at home. While Lola _was_ happy that everyone took her statement well, she couldn't help but shudder at the judge's words; wondering what a woman _her_ age looked like in a robe.

"Is there anything else you would like to add, dear" questioned Ms. Baldur, "aside from the...earplug incident, were there any other times you two didn't get along very well?" Almost immediately, she managed to bring up a small handful of specific moments. First; Lola brought up the time he talked her twin sister, Lana into posing as her for the Miss Prim and Perfect Pageant.

"I see...was your sister forced into this pageant against her wishes, by chance" questioned Ms. Baldur, "I mean; did he manipulate her, threaten her or blackmail her into doing it?" In that moment, Lola found herself frozen in confusion. As her mind looked back on the moment in question, she saw no manipulation or harmful tactics being used at all.

"No...actually, Lana chose to join willingly" Lola stated, "it might've been because whoever won would win two tickets to Dairyland." The judge, jury and Lincoln's trio of lawyers found themselves nodding slightly at this; understanding just how popular the park often is with people of all ages. "And if I heard you correctly, your brother had your twin pose as you for this contest" questioned Ms. Baldur, "this must mean the two of you are identical, I'm guessing?"

Lola gave a "so-so" hand gesture and then explained that while they may have the same features; blond hair, the gap-tooth smiles, the near-identical voices...they were quite different, on the inside. "Lana loves rolling in the mud, working on machines and even icky stuff" Lola stated, "she's the only one in our family who'd actually go visit Aunt Ruth...by _choice!_" The crowd found themselves grimacing slightly, remembering what the news showed before the trial began.

At the same time, Lana stood from her seat and proclaimed she had no shame in admitting she loved being at Ruth's house. "Not only do all of her cats help remind me of Clint" she stated, "but that pudding of hers is actually good...for some of us." The crowd suddenly started retching slightly, remembering how Katherine Mulligan described the aforementioned pudding as "moldy."

"Anyway...because we _looked_ alike, Lincoln had Lana pose as me and entered her in my place" she stated, "I couldn't go because I hurt my leg during training for the pageant." Lola then explained how when she found out about Lincoln's plan, she felt he was trying to ruin her. But after Lincoln helped inspire Lana to go out and perform as herself; Lola was surprised to see that Lana managed to win, in the end.

"I didn't quite like the methods...but I always support a winner" Lola said firmly with a smile, "and they won fair and square." After that, she went on to describe another incident where she and Lincoln didn't quite see eye-to-eye. "It was when his teacher got him and his class into a 'Save the Polar Bear' contest" Lola explained, "whoever reduced their homes carbon footprint the most (whatever that is) would be helping to save baby polar bears."

No sooner had the wee pageant princess began, some of the Gal Pals Lincoln's age suddenly started to feel guilty. You see; they all scolded him, due to Lincoln's family using so much energy and other resources in their house. As such, he was forced to try and coerce his siblings into "going green" for a period. In the end, however; even Lincoln found himself unable to go very long without his electronics.

Thus, in order to avoid being seen by the others; he took all his things and brought them into the basement. There, he had each of them plugged in and was able to indulge into his and Clyde's Swords & Cyborgs game tourney. "We managed to catch him, in the end and felt he was being hypocritical; after everything we did" Lola stated, "but...he made up for it by manually powering everything in the house via an exercise bike for the rest of the week."

After this, all eyes fell upon the Gal Pals (specifically the younger members;) questioning why they would pressure him in such a way that would lead to such events happening. "You don't understand, everyone, things were different...we didn't know any better" Jordan said defensively, "me and the rest of the class know now it wasn't right for us to shame Lincoln for something beyond his control." At that moment, Mrs. Johnson stood up and confessed that _she_ had a bit of a hand in that as well.

"I already knew that a family of Lincoln's size used up lots of energy" she confessed, "yet, I _still_ pressured him to have his family go green...I'm so sorry, dear." To end that story, Lola added Lincoln already paid the price for his bad decisions by ending up smelling like a pig for a week. "But then, we heard he was shut out of the classroom as well" she stated, "in any case; for a while, my brother _did_ become an outcast."

After that, everyone was torn with who they should be disappointed in the most. The Louds certainly didn't help things, due to how much energy they wasted at home. Mrs. Johnson, Lincoln's teacher, was also at fault for placing a near impossible to achieve responsibility on his shoulders.

Jordan was looked at coldly because of how she (along with other classmates not present in the courtroom) chose to behave that day. But along with them, they felt disappointed in _Lincoln_ as well for his poor choices. Yet...after seeing the lad in his current state, everyone (sans the Loud Family) felt he was suffering enough as it was and chose _not_ to scorn him for what happened.

"One other time, my brother was the tie-breaker for our family; when it was time to choose a spot to go on vacation" Lola said suddenly, "in the past, we all went to the Scratchy Bottom Campgrounds to 'relax'...but as you can imagine; we did anything _but_ that." After hearing the story, so far; Ms. Baldur recalled Lola saying Lincoln was tasked with being a "tie-breaker." "What other options were you all considering" she asked, "they must've been good ones for there to be a tie breaker option.

One half of the Loud Sisters said they wished to head down to Aloha Beach. For them; the sun, the sand, the surf and air were all just too much to pass off. However, the other half revealed that while the beach _was _a good idea; they were more in the mood for a trip to Dairyland.

Even the parents admitted they were unsure of which to choose. Not only were both options equally fun in their own rights. But they were also well within the proper budget range for a family of their size to have fun at.

This is where Lincoln fell into the situation; because he himself had yet to make a choice, it was up to _him_ to decide the destination for the family. "As you can imagine, I love _both_ places" he admitted, "but I couldn't really choose between them, because of that and need some time to think things over." After that, Lola (quite timidly) admitted that she and her sisters tried to get Lincoln to choose one side or the other.

"All ten of us on both sides tried to help get Lincoln decide" Lola confessed, "those of us wanting to go to the beach pampered him with methods themed after said idea." Some of the other Loud Sisters mentioned doing the same thing but with Dairyland themed activities. In that moment; the court agreed that while the idea of pampering seemed harmless...on paper.

In the eyes of the law, however; it all sounded like a form of bribery. "Pray tell, how did your brother feel about all the treatment you gave him" questioned Ms. Baldur, "I imagine he must've enjoyed it, mainly because you lot decided to show him some love for once?" Upon hearing this, the girls took these words as an insult and demanded that she listened to the rest of the story.

Sensing that there was a fight about to be had, Lincoln stood from his seat and cried "objection." Surprised by this, Ms. Baldur said she was trying to help him and questioned his objection. "I know you want to help me" Lincoln stated, "but Lola's right, you need to hear _everything_ first.

With that said, Lincoln rose from his seat and did his best to recount the events in question. "Just as Lola said, both the Beach Team and the Dairyland Team did whatever they could to earn my vote" he stated, "sure, the pampering was a little nice...but it was also very awkward, at times." He then mentioned things like changing the décor of his room, moving his chair at the breakfast table like he was on a roller coaster and even embarrassing themselves with the outfits they chose to wear.

"But the worst of it happened when they tried sabotaging each other" he cried in exasperation, "those sabotaging the beach side did stuff like putting sand in my pants or tricking the group into rubbing Sodium Hypochlorite on my body, after disguising the bottle to make it look like sunscreen!" The court gasped in shock, wondering what in heaven's name would drive them to pour such substances on their brother. It was then revealed by Ms. Baldur that contact with such a substance can prove harmful to the skin.

"You don't have to tell me twice about it, Ma'am" Lincoln grumbled, "because that's _exactly_ what happened to me!" The court let out sounds of disappointment and disgust towards upon hearing this news. "One of the worst parts was when they tried to 'show me' another con about Dairyland" Lincoln grumbled, "namely when rides and bathrooms breakdown on people."

For this example, he spoke about how his sisters went as far as to actually tape up the toilet and put up a sign that said "this ride is no longer in service!" "IT WAS ALL GETTING SO RIDICULOUS, YOUR HONOR" Lincoln shrieked, "I CAME CLOSE TO GOING OUT OF MY MIND, AS MY SISTERS KEPT EITHER SMOTHERING ME OR 'ACCIDENTALLY' HURTING ME!" Fearing Lincoln would have another panic attack, the bailiff quickly handed him a bottled water to help calm his nerves.

Meanwhile, Rita and Lynn Sr. glared down each of their girls; stunned that they didn't hear about this until now. "I knew you all had tendencies to disagree on things, girls" grumbled Rita disapprovingly, "but pushing your brother like that just takes the cake!" After that; Lynn Sr. threatened that the girls would be lucky to go to the mall again, after hearing all this. When Lincoln calmed down enough, he quickly realized he was taking up Lola's session and apologized to her.

After a while, Lola mentioned that Lincoln needed to think things over; before coming to a decision. "He knew that whatever choice he made; in the end, at least five of our ten sisters would be upset with him" she said with a deep sigh, "so...in the end, he went with the only other option; Scratchy Bottom." Many in the court saw this as a sort of "if neither side wins, there's no more reason to fight" sort of scenario.

But to conclude her story, Lola explained how Lincoln put himself out in order to make everyone happy. "He did this by acting as a servant for each of us, making it seem like we _were_ at the beach" Lola murmured, "I never really appreciated what he did that day...until now." The moment she said this, a wave of guilt washed over the wee pageant princess.

Said guilt rose even higher, when she mentioned the last of Lincoln's "transgressions." "Long story short, our family wins loads of trophies" Lola stated, "but Lincoln was the only empty space on the trophy case...and it made him feel rather bummed." It was here that she brought up the infamous "video clip reel" he entered for a class contest at school.

This contest would reward a trophy to whoever would create the most popular video online. "Before this, Lincoln tried to earn a trophy through all the ways _we_ did" Lola explained, "but with every attempted, it all ended the same way; either in second...or last place." Hearing his sister speak about that particular memory made Lincoln sink even deeper into a pit of despair than he already was.

"With so many failures, Lincoln felt like he_ had_ to enter that contest" Lola stated, "but not matter how hard he tried, nothing of himself that he uploaded got a single view." At this point, she mentioned the video compilation that Lincoln made; one that consisted of all the girls' most embarrassing moments. "Good news was he won...but at the expense of our love for him" Lola grumbled, "it took making another video, one featuring _his_ most shameful moments to earn back our trust."

At this point, the crowd felt torn; unsure of whom to side with. On one hand, they felt disappointed in Lincoln for uploading the internet video without his sisters' consent. But on the other hand, they felt like the girls should've talked with their brother; instead of shutting him out and acting like he didn't exist.

Judge Snapper, on the other hand knew exactly what to think and say. "You're right young lady, what your brother did _was_ overstepping some boundaries" she murmured firmly, "however...it seems as though he only wanted the trophy so that he could appear a 'winner' in your eyes!" Mr. Bush nodded in agreement and said it was silly of the family to put so much value in gold plated paperweights.

"It's especially shameful that your 'lawyer," Lisa also sides with this mentality" he grumbled, "considering how winning awards is _not_ part of the scientific method in any way." As these talks continued, Lynn felt as though every negative word about trophies was an "insult" to hers and her family's abilities. "If trophies are so lame to you guys, how else are we supposed to show off our success" she asked indignantly, "when you're like me, Lola, Lisa or even Lori; trophies are the one thing that make everything we did all worth while!"

In response, both Ms. Baldur and the judge said real victory is measured by the emotional maturity, experience and wisdom one learns from those they're up against. "Trophies and metals rust over overtime and ribbons soon start to tear" she said stoically, "the real reward lies in the fun of the game." The moment the lawyer said this, Lynn made the same statement he made towards Margot days earlier; "don't you people get it...WINNING _IS _FUN!"

That was the final straw; after the judge gave him a nod, the bailiff marched over and tied a "Hannibal Lecter-style" restraint mask over Lynn Jr.'s face. Once applied, her rants and raving just came out like angry muffled noises. After her sister was silenced, Lola did her best to finish the rest of her story.

"Like I said, Lincoln uploaded an embarrassing video of himself; to make up for what he did" she stated, "in the end, we _did _forgive him...but advised Lincoln not to go to out anywhere for a while." After that, Ms. Baldur said she had no further questions for the girl and Lola was given permission to take her seat again. But before she left, Judge Snapper gave the girl one final thought.

"You may think that what your brother did was a crime" she stated, "but I've seen other people _willingly_ post far more degrading material online, over the years." Upon saying this; she said that compared to what she'd seen, Lincoln's videos were nothing but tiny blips under the radar. "At the same time, what he did wasn't really so much as a 'crime'" she stated, "it was more of what we call in the court of law, a misdemeanor."

Curious, Leni raised her hand high and asked who "Miss Demeanor" was. "No, honey; misdemeanor isn't a person" Rita murmured, "it's a word that means Lincoln's actions were a minor or non-indictable offense." Flabbergasted by her mother's words, Lori retorted in reminding her how it contained some of the girls' most embarrassing moments.

"It's interesting that you should mention embarrassing moments, Ms. Loud" murmured Mr. Burns, "because with the permission of your brother, we wish to show the court something else online that features him." After a moment of silence, Lincoln gave the man a nod and handed him his cellphone. From there, he brought up a video that the Gal Pals felt looked rather familiar.

Once it began to play, the girls watched the first minute and it all became clear. This was the same video that Lincoln showed them all, when they first met at Gus'. Now, everyone in court and those watching at home (thanks to Katherine Mulligan filming the trial) would be able to see what _they_ saw.

The crowd gasped in surprise, when the honey was dumped on Lincoln. They all murmured with anxiousness, when the animals on Liam's farm started licking their lips at him. But when they saw him running in terror from said animals and heard Luan's idiotic pun, the whole court erupted in outraged ranting.

"You lamebrain clown" shouted Judge Snapper, "do you have any idea what you did, your little prank could've gotten your brother seriously hurt!" In response to this, Lincoln simply chuckled sarcastically and said that happened more times than anyone could count. "My sister loves to pull pranks like that on us, Your Honor" he murmured, "but when it's April Fools Day, she becomes psychotic!"

The people in the courtroom murmured softly, remembering the many years of property damage and grief her "Prank-Pocalypse" incidents would cause. It was here that Judge Snapper asked for Exhibit B to be presented. In that moment, everyone wondered just what they picked up of Luan's that they would use against her.

But much to everyone, even Lincoln's surprise; the bailiff only brought in a single small item...a thin manila envelope. "Uh...with all due respect, Your Honor; where's the evidence against my daughter" questioned Lynn Sr. "why just bring that envelope and not any of her prank gear?" The judge smiled down at the Loud Matriarch and said the item in question was more important than he would think.

"Inside this envelope, Mr. Loud is a map" she explained, "one that leads to a facility where a record of property damage caused by _your daughter's_ antics fills up a space of _six_ whole storage lockers!" After taking in a nervous gulp, Lisa asked the exact size of the lockers. "Am I right to assume they were six feet by eight" questioned Lisa nervously, "because if that's so, the circumstances might not be so grim."

In response to Lisa's inquiry, the bailiff simply urged her to "think bigger;" when it came to the lockers' size. Needless to say, this made the family feel _extremely_ uncomfortable. "According to one part of her record, she took the phrase 'paint the town red' to an entirely different level by painting five blocks in two coatings of red paint.

"It took authorities weeks to scrape all the paint off the buildings" Judge Snapper shouted, "that's not even taking into account the amount of damage she caused by painting the plants and trees in it!" The girl in question suddenly found herself shrinking shamefully, upon seeing the court crowd's eyes glaring at her. "I _would_ question why she feels such a need to go that far in her pranks at all...but we shall deal with that later" Ms. Baldur murmured, "for now, I believe it is best we take a momentary recess; before we continue further."

After taking a moment to think the idea over, Judge Snapper let out a soft sigh and nodded slightly. "Agreed; after everything that's happened, I think we should cool off a while" she muttered, "court will declare a recess and will resume after lunch." Upon hearing the mention of lunch, Lincoln gasped in surprise at just how long they've been there so far.

Regardless, the judge had a good point; now was a good time to relax a little...especially for him. With that in mind, everyone rose from their seats and made their way out of the courtroom. Without pause, Lincoln made his way towards the Gal Pals; who proceeded to hug him for dear life.

But then, Whitney cast a glare in the Louds' direction; causing them to flinch a little. "Looks like I know who to blame now, after my house got doused with paint that year" she growled, "I hope they throw the book at you for what you've done, you rotten pussbags!" After that, she and the rest of the gals followed the crowd out the door; with Lincoln following in tow.

Only the remaining members of the Loud Family remained in the courtroom. Once they were alone, Rita and Lynn Sr. both glared at their girls with intense fire in their eyes. "We are beyond shocked from what we've heard thus far, girls" grumbled Rita, "if the court doesn't punish you all severely for your actions, in the end...your father and I most certainly will!"

Upon hearing the tone in their mother's voice, each of the Loud Sisters (even Lori and Lynn) quivered tremendously with fear.

(Line Break)

An hour or so later, everyone returned back to the courtroom for the second half of the trial. After hearing a few testimonies from Lincoln and his sisters, the crowd still felt torn over who was truly in the wrong. In time, Ms. Baldur stood before the crowd and cleared her throat.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the court; thus far, we've heard quite a bit about this matter" she stated, "but the truth is, we only know a _fraction_ of Lincoln's situation." With this, the woman proclaimed the time as come for the surprise witnesses to come and state their pieces. This reveal took the Loud Sisters and their parents completely off-guard.

No one knew who these witnesses would be but one thing was certain, both sides were quite anxious on what they would have to say.

(First AN: Thus ends the first half of the trial and things...appear to be getting nuts. With both Lincoln's two emotional outbursts in court and the testimonies that were provided thus far, one can wonder where things will go next. Who do you think the first of these "surprise witnesses" will be, folks?

Find out next time, as the Loud Family Trial continues.)

(Second AN: Lincoln attacking the squirrel suit, much like him fighting Lynn Jr. at the picnic a few chapters back. might seem "silly;" to most of you. But considering the experience he had with it, that beating was a long-time coming.)

(Third AN: The storage locker thing was inspired by the Simpsons episode, Wandering Juvie. In said episode, it's mentioned that Bart has a record that fills three 6 by 14 storage lockers. At first, I was thinking of using the same numbers for _Lynn's_ list of property damages.

But considering how out of control she can be, when it comes to pranking, 6 by 14 didn't quite seem like big enough space to hold it all.)

(Fourth AN: Many reviewers have told me about the aforementioned video Lincoln made of his sisters, whenever referencing his own "crimes' against the family. But as Judge Snapper pointed out, it was nothing more than a misdemeanor. As such, it pales in comparison to sisters' sometimes abusive nature and the parents' negligence.)

(Final AN: To any who will read this and proclaim I'm still "vilifying" Lori and Lynn. I must remind you that being the most...emotionally unstable of the lot, they're still wound up in their anger to think straight. It's going to take a good kick in the pants *figuratively speaking* to get them back to normal and that _will_ happen, in due course)


	27. Chapter Twenty-Six: The Trial Pt Three

The Trial – Part Three: Surprise Witnesses

Five minutes passed and a group of new faces entered the room. Among these faces were people the Louds immediately recognized; like Principal Huggins, "Pop-Pop," Mr. Grouse, Ms. DiMartino, Lincoln's group of guy friends and a few people no one else in court recognized (but some of the Louds knew very well.) The first of these people called to the stand was a young woman in her late 20's.

As this woman took her place at the stand, a small television was then wheeled up to the evidence desk; which certainly raised a few eyebrows. "What are you gonna do with that" questioned Leni, "(gasp) are we gonna watch a movie?" This statement caused the Loud Sisters to shake their heads with despair, while the judge found it all...mildly adorable.

"Not really, lil' miss" she stated, "we _will_ be watching videos, yes...but not the kind that are connected to a popular film." After that; Ms. Baldur when on to tell the court about how Agent Mathers and his team came upon an "interesting discovery," while they investigated the house. "For now, let us proceed with the testimonies" Judge Snapper stated, "you may swear in the witness."

In time, the woman was sworn in and she took her seat; all while glaring icy daggers in Lynn Jr.'s general direction. "Ooh! Whoever that lady is, she doesn't look happy" Lana murmured, "wonder what we did to upset her?" Despite also being genuinely concerned, the Loud Sisters all felt that the better question was...what _haven't_ they done?

Meanwhile, Mr. Bush approached the stand and asked the woman what her affiliation with the Louds was. "I don't really know them and frankly, I don't care too" she said with a tone dripping with venomous rage, "because of their damn brat, we had to buy_ another_ replacement hip for my grandmother!" Naturally, this statement brought the crowd buzzing with questions.

But the main ones they wished to focus on were which one of the girls did the deed, where did it happen, _why_ did it happen and what was done to punish the girl in question at the time? It was here that the woman at the stand brought up an incident at the community pool. "My family and I drove all the way from Hazeltucky to hang out with Nani at the pool, that summer day" she grumbled, "but what started as a wonderful family day...ended in both annoyance and worry for us, my Nani especially."

No sooner had she said this, the bailiff was handed a DVD by Agent McKenzie. As the disc was being put into the player, the Louds began to wonder who this "Nani" was and what particular pool incident the woman was talking about? But their train of thought was suddenly disrupted by three simple words..."LOUD FAMILY, OUT!"

After this, everyone directed their attention towards the TV and saw that the DVD the bailiff put in was playing security footage of the date in question at the pool. While they watched the footage play, everything became much..._much_ clearer to the Louds with every second. "If this is what I think it is, dudes...we might be in trouble" murmured Luna, "or more specifically, _Lynn_ might be in trouble."

The girls nodded fearfully at one another and returned their attention to the television, where everyone could see them sadly leaving the pool.

(audio from the TV plays)

**Lifeguard:** "Loud Family, out!"

_[The Loud kids are seen leaving the pool.]_

**Lynn:** "But we were just having fun."

**Lifeguard:** "Chicken fights during Senior Swim are not "_fun_."

**Mrs. Jelinski**: _[shaking her fist in anger.]_ "I just replaced this hip!"

_[The other seniors look back at the kids with concerned or angry expressions._]

The moment the old woman in the video (revealed to be ol' Mrs. Jelinski) said those words, Mr. Burns quickly paused the DVD and shook his head at the Louds. "Ma'am...is what we saw on this footage the reason why you appear so angry towards the Louds" questioned the lawyer, "because if it is...you must have a legitimate reason to be mad." The woman in question nodded furiously and confirmed that his assumptions were correct.

"My name, you see is Sarah Jelinski" she proclaimed, "the old woman in the video..._she_ is my grandmother and we were happy that the little brat's actions only resulted in breaking her hip!" From there, she confessed that the family had to dip into their funds to help pay for another replacement hip for Ol' Mrs. Jelinski. "I'm just thankful we could get the replacement for the replacement and that there weren't any ill after effects after the procedure" the woman sighed, "but Nani felt so sore, after that; the doctor ordered her to rest herself for a whole month...she had to miss her high school reunion during that time, which was something she was really looking forward to!"

After this; the witness proclaimed that after what happened, the Louds deserved more than just banishment from the pool. "Hey! Don't put _me_ into that, please" murmured Lincoln defensively, "that all happened before I even left the changing room." After this, the witness looked in Lincoln's direction and her demeanor softened slightly.

"Hey, kid; don't worry, I don't have a beef with _you"_ she assured, "in fact, my Nani remembers you and your pal rather fondly." When asked what Lincoln did to earn such praise; the witness said it happened once at Flip's Food n' Fuel, long ago. "she said she was hungry and decided to pop in for something to eat" she explained, "but Flip's microwave had broken down and she was left holding a cold burrito."

Curious, Mr. Burns asked how she ended up getting her food heated and how Lincoln fell into the story. "Well, he and his friend with the glasses were both working there, if I remember correctly" the witness replied, "according to my Nani, each of them tried to warm up her burrito in their own ways." When asked about the methods the boys used, the witness first described Clyde's idea; which involved using the bathroom air dryer.

"Nice eco-friendly option there, lil' man" chuckled the witness, "but it wasn't a very quick one, unfortunately." When she went on to describe _Lincoln's_ method, everyone flinched slightly with disgust at the mention of the exhaust pipe of her grandmother's car. "You call that a good idea, I call it a sick one" Lori groaned, "I mean, the thing was literally covered in smoke and dust...and she still wanted to eat it?!"

With a quick slam of her gavel, Judge Snapper (once again) silenced Lori's whining. "For your information, young lady; most people like having their food smoky" she stated, "_my_ grandmother, for example loved eating slightly burnt toast with jelly; on occasion." The Loud Sisters felt they were on the verge of vomiting, after hearing this reveal.

"To make a long story short; to this day, my Nani still remembers Lincoln's gesture" the woman said with a soft smile, "and when she heard he was going on trial against his family today...well, she felt it was a fate they deserved for a long-time coming." Hearing these words caused Lynn Jr. to bounce, wriggle and jiggle in her chair violently; all while shouting muffled rants beneath her face mask. After demanding that the girl calm down, Judge Snapper asked what she was trying to say.

"I think I know what she's saying, Your Honor" murmured Rita, "but if I repeated anything...the witness might get angry." Feeling curious, Judge Snapper urged the woman to translate Lynn's muffled cries. "I can't say _all_ of it, mainly because her statements contain...er, words best left unsaid while we're in the presence of children" Rita murmured, "but Lynn seems to be saying that...the old woman was just a 'stupid spoil sport who couldn't handle a simple Chicken Fight.'"

As Rita predicted; this translation did, indeed make the witness mad. "You call that a simple Chicken Fight" she cried, "your daughter kept yanking and pulling at my Nani's arms like she was a rag doll!" To say the least, the crowd was quite shocked by this reveal.

But as expected, Lynn held on to her guns and acted like she did nothing illegal. "What really gets my goat is the fact that while this happened, the parents did absolutely nothing to stop her" the witness proclaimed, "they just sat on their fat butts in the beach chairs and watched everything!" No sooner had the witness said this, Lynn Sr. leapt out of his seat and cried out in objection.

"With all due respect, Ma'am; my wife and I truly _wanted_ to stop my daughter's horseplay" he stated, "but the truth is...doing so would be dangerous." When asked how it would've been as "dangerous" as he claimed, Lynn suddenly hesitated. In that moment, he found himself at a crossroads; if he told the truth, Lynn Jr. (and who knows how many of his girls) would be angry with him but if he didn't...well, he and the family would be as good as sunk.

Surprisingly enough, however; it didn't seem like he needed to say anything...because the witness could see the answer written all over his sullen expression. "Before I leave, I'd like to say one last thing to the Loud Parents" she murmured, "be thankful you live here in the U.S...because if you chose to have as many kids as you do anywhere else in the world, you two would be in jail." With that said; she stood up from her seat, thanked the court for their time and took her place back in with the gallery.

There was a minute or two of silence, after that; which gave everyone the chance to process what they've just been told so far. Finally, Judge Snapper called for everyone's attention and asked if the _defense_ had any witnesses to call. "Yes we do, Your Honor" Lisa stated, "defense now calls to the stand...Mr. Bud Grouse."

There was an uneasy murmur amongst the other Loud Family members, when they heard Lisa's choice of a witness. Over the years, Old Mr. Grouse had not been on the best of terms with the family and they had no doubt this would be brought up in court for all to hear. But the Louds also remembered instances where they performed acts of good for him, such as getting him bus tickets to see his family one Christmas and the time Leni taught him a good anger management method (one that involved reciting all fifty state names.)

With this in mind, the Loud Sisters and their parents all hoped it would be enough for him to take pity on their situation. A moment later, after he was sworn in; Mr. Grouse took his seat and Lisa kindly approached him. "Mr. Grouse...thank you for taking the time to come here" she said as professionally as possible, "more to the point...over the course of this trial; my family has been dubbed 'neglectful,' 'abusive,' 'manipulative,' 'brutish' and for someone like Lori, somewhat 'tight-fisted.'"

The whole time she spoke, Mr. Grouse remained the same; deadpan and still as a statue. Meanwhile, the other Loud Sisters and their parents were growing _incredibly_ anxious; mentally asking if Lisa actually _wanted_ them to get into trouble. Eventually, Lisa ceased her list of...what she would call "slanderous" terms and asked Mr. Grouse if he agreed with such accusations.

No sooner had she asked this; Mr. Grouse, without missing a beat, simply replied with a single word..."yes." To say that the Louds were shocked by this would be the greatest understatement in history. Had Mr. Grouse truly forgotten the goodwill the Louds had done for him...however small the number of examples were?

Thinking quickly, Lisa did her best to rephrase the question and asked if he could recall any generous actions her family did for him. "At my age, lil' lady; you tend to forget a lotta stuff" Mr. Grouse grumbled, "but what I _do_ remember is all the years of stress you and your sisters have given me." After this, he went on to question why he bothered to accept the court summons at all.

"I mean...c'mon, people" he groaned, "one day, _one_ quiet day in almost eighteen years and I've gotta spend it testifying for Loud and his bratty daughters?!" If the Louds weren't in deep doo-doo before, they certainly were now. It was bad enough that they were facing charges of neglect and abuse.

But after listening to only the first two of the surprise witnesses, the court could now add injuring an elderly person and "Disturbing the Peace" to the list as well. Realizing that Lisa wasn't getting anywhere, Ms. Baldur approached the bench and decided to ask about his grievances towards the Louds. "Ma'am, I don't even know where to begin" he started, "I mean, I could handle Loud's dog poopin' on my yard...but everything else has brought me close to an aneurysm!"

From here; he brought up all the times Luna's loud music disturbed his naps, all the windows Lynn's baseballs have broken, all the times his peaceful moments were disturbed by their quarreling in the house, each time Lola drove over his flowers while riding her Princess Car down the sidewalk...the list went on. "But as bad as all that was, what I've been hearin' on the news seems much worse" Mr. Grouse grumbled, "people like Loud ain't fit to be parents, if they allow their own kids to drive one of their own to...that." He then raised his hand and pointed towards Lincoln, who appeared rather fidgety in his chair.

The Gal Pals immediately took notice of this behavior and were about to question if Lincoln was alright. Then, without warning; a loud cry rang out through the room...more specifically, a baby's cry. "DANG IT, LILY'S UP FROM HER NAP!" Lincoln, Lynn Sr. and Rita said in unison, "somebody's gotta calm her down!"

Without hesitation, Lincoln leapt out of his seat and asked the judge's permission to go attend to his baby sister. "HE CAN'T DO THAT, WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A TRIAL" shrieked Lori, "IF _WE'VE_ GOTTA SUFFER IN HERE, HE DOES TOO!" Ironically, her screaming only seemed to make Lily cry even harder in the back room; which resulted many disapproving glares being sent her way.

"First of all...Mr. Loud; you are more than welcome to see to your sister" Judge Snapper said calmly, "should we need you, the bailiff will come and bring you back." Lincoln thanked the judge for her kindness and hurried over to the back room. But not before asking for a few other things, any baby toys his mother might have on hand and for a few of his friends to come help him.

The moment he asked this; Carol, Becky, Dana, Whitney and Kat all offered to help him. "I don't know, girls" Judge Snapper said hesitantly, do any of you have experience with kids. In response; Dana mentioned all the years she spent looking after her brother, Chaz and Becky mentioned _her_ years of looking after her younger sister, Paige.

"Unfortunately, neither me nor my one other two friends here have much experience with little ones" Carol sighed with Whitney and Kat giving a slight shake of her head, "but Lincoln can show us what to do, if he needs a hand." The judge thought on this for a moment or so until finally, she consented and granted them temporary leave. "Just remember; if we need your help testifying, you must return back here" Judge Snapper stated, "no exceptions."

The group agreed to the terms and immediately hurried into the back room, their arms full with diapers or toys. Once they've all departed, Mr. Grouse looked over his shoulder and smiled softly at the door. "Ya see that, _there's _a good egg" he muttered approvingly, "even when things are goin' crazy around him, that boy still tries to fix 'em."

No sooner had he said this, Lori immediately called "Shenanigans" (among other terms) on the old man's statement. "As I recall, Mr. Grouse; you've yelled at Lincoln just as much as you did _us_" she stated, "remember what happened on Christmas a year ago...how his sled landed on your property?" The crowd let out a soft "ooh" at Lori's inquiry, which made the room sound like something out of a TV sitcom or a talk show.

Mr. Grouse, on the other hand let out a soft "HA" in reply, saying that what happened during that incident was an accident. "In all the years I've been your neighbor, I've seen much worse" he grumbled, "compared to how your father lets the dog poop on my yard, all the windows Junior broke and all the times your egghead of a little sister shorted out the town's power with her science doodads...your brother's sled fallin' onto my yard is nothin'!" He then went on to say just how guilty he was for what _he_ did.

"All the kid wanted was to take his sled back home and he almost did" Mr. Grouse confessed, "but then; it got cold, I was low on firewood and when I found the sled, I..." Ms. Baldur held up her hand and calmly stopped him, proclaiming that she heard enough. "As you can see, Ladies and Gentlemen; much like the matter with the internet video Lincoln's sister brought up moments ago...this is yet another misdemeanor on Lincoln's part."

Upon hearing the word "misdemeanor" being used again, Lori became even more furious than she already was. "DON'T YOU IDIOTS GET IT, IT'S BECAUSE OF MY BROTHER THAT WE'RE EVEN HERE AT ALL" she roared, "all he does is whine, complain, bicker with us, emotionally manipulate us and get us in trouble for his own selfish gain...he's a bad apple!" Before anyone else could respond to this, a female African American officer poked her head out through the door and shushed everybody.

"Could y'all hush up a little out here" she murmured, "you'll wake the baby and the lil' man just got her to relax." After this; she opened the door nice and slow to reveal a sight so precious, it even made the little Goths (Lucy and Haiku) gush adorably. Sitting on a small bench in the back room was Lincoln, who was gently cradling Lily in her arms.

They also noticed that Carol, Becky, Dana, Whitney and Kat had themselves huddled together around them into a perfect cuddling position; making certain not to squish Lincoln or the baby. Then, everyone could suddenly hear soft echoes of what seemed to be singing; which meant Lincoln (or one of the girls) was lulling Lily to sleep with a lullaby.) As they listened, the Loud Sisters immediately recognized the song; it was the same one sung by their formerly favorite toy, Fenton the Fox.

"_Cheer up, baby; don't you cry  
No more tears, it's cheer up time_

_Laugh with me and we will be_

_Happy, Happy, Happy!"_

Soon; the ladies, after sharing a few small kisses with Lincoln and Lily, joined in and when all their voices mixed together with Lincoln's vocals; it all sounded incredibly beautiful. Surprisingly enough, this sight managed to bring many a joyful tear to the eyes of the court gallery; even Judge Snapper couldn't help but cry a little. "I remember that song" she said with a sigh, "I would sing it to my granddaughter, just before her naptime."

Many people in the crowd murmured happily about singing similar lullabies to their little ones, while also complimenting on how adorable Lincoln and Co. looked with his little sister. Meanwhile, Lori sat in her chair; staring aghast at the scene before her and was prepared to insist that everyone not believe the "lies" they were seeing. But before she could utter a single word, she suddenly felt her mother's icy grip clench at her shoulder.

"Lori...Marie...Loud; if you value your family or even your precious social life, I demand you sit still and be quiet" Rita demanded, "if not; I will have every cellphone, tablet, smart phone and even your webcam devices be taken away and sold for scrap...do you understand me?!" Now, there were few things that ever truly frightened Lori; getting bad grades, breaking up with Bobby, Lucy popping out of nowhere, Hopps getting into her drawers, wearing clothes that were out of style. But there were times where her _mother's_ anger felt far more terrifying than all of that...and _this_ was one of those times.

While still putting up a defiant expression, Lori had no other choice but to sit back in her chair. After that, Judge Snapper asked if anyone had the noise canceling earphones Lincoln mentioned in an earlier testimony. "I think I have a spare in my pocket" the jury foreman called out softly, "when you live in the city like I do, things can get noisy and you'll need anything to help give you a good night's rest.

The judge thanked the foreman for his kindness, as he handed the earphones to the bailiff. Afterwards; they were given to Lincoln and, with the help of his friends, gently placed them into Lily's ears. Afterwards all was well and Lily would be left to nap without any disruptions...knock on wood.

After witnessing the scene before them, everyone turned towards Lori and Judge Snapper presented her with one simple question; "did _that_ look like he was a bad apple, young lady?" In truth, Lincoln's actions to try and make things quieter while Lily napped proved he was a good brother; if not a "perfect" one. After Mr. Grouse was allowed to leave the stand, the rest of the trial continued on with Mr. Bush addressing Lori's earlier comments.

"As you said many..._many_ times over, Ms. Loud; your brother has made mistakes" Mr. Bush said softly, "but then again...we _all_ have, even you." He then went on a tangent about how no human; regardless of gender, race, social standing, religious faith, sexual orientation or level of IQ was without their flaws. "Yet despite _his_ imperfections, Lincoln does his absolute darndest to make things right between him and others" he stated, "even if, in the end, he might suffer some form of repercussions brought on by the pettiness of others."

It was here that Rusty Spokes, one of Lincoln's pals, was called up to the stand. After he was sworn in, Rusty and after the court asked him about his association with Lincoln, the boy went on to bring up their experiences together; including a time where Lisa was transferred up to Lincoln's grade. "I see; for those bearing IQ levels as high as hers, such events may occur" murmured Judge Snapper, "was this transfer approved by the school board or Lisa's teacher, however?"

Naturally, knowing how Lisa was able to work around the legal system; everyone expected the answer to be no...and they were right. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I hold here in my hands a report given to us by my client's current teacher, Mrs. Johnson from that day" Ms. Baldur announced while holding up a stack of papers in her hand, "and according to the information provided...it was _Lisa_ and her alone that brought this transfer to pass." Naturally, this reveal left the court feeling rather confused and Judge Snapper asked for the lawyer to elaborate on her statement.

"Apparently, Your Honor; young Miss Loud felt that Kindergarten was 'a waste of time' and originally tried to get into medical school" she stated, "but they denied her request, said that she was too young; which was a wise choice." This reveal did not spell good news for the Loud Family members, much to their dismay. The main reason being was the fact that this transfer wasn't approved by either Superintendent Chen, the head of the Royal Woods School District, or any other member of the school board

Meanwhile, Lisa did her best to appear as stoic and unfeeling as she could about the current situation; despite how Fate seemed to be going against her. "And...let me see if I heard you correctly, Mr. Bush" murmured Judge Snapper while she rubbed her temples, "you say that Ms. Loud was transferred...because her current grade wasn't 'up her standards?'" With a soft sigh, Mr. Bush rose from his seat and proclaimed the judge's inquiry to be correct; however ridiculous the idea sounded.

"Uh...I'm not sure if I should say anything yet or not" murmured Rusty, "but what does any of this have to do with _me?_" Realizing that they were getting a touch off-topic, Ms. Baldur returned to the matter in question. "When Lisa was in your grade; you and your friends made her part of your...'crew;' at some point, yes" Baldur asked, "did this happen right away or did something change later on?" At that moment, Clyde suddenly stood up and asked to help provide information on the event in question.

"When she came to our school; Lisa acted like her usual genius self, at first" he stated, "but as you can imagine, that didn't really work out very well." He then mentioned all the moments Lisa's intellect got people angry. From taking pop quizzes earlier, reading an entire chapter of a textbook in class...in less than a minute to a robot she created from scrap destroying the projects of other students.

"Goodness, that _is_ quite upsetting" gasped Mr. Bush, "I'm guessing that after all that, you were quite upset with Ms. Loud?" With a shameful blush creeping onto his face; Rusty admitted that it was _Lincoln_ he and his friends were upset with, not Lisa. "But...I don't understand" Judge Snapper exclaimed suddenly, "if Lisa was the one who caused these incidents, why would you be angry with her _brother_ instead?"

The blush on Rusty's face shined so bright that his head looked like a red light bulb, he was filled with such shame. "We did because...because we were upset with how much Lisa kept making school harder for us" he groaned, "I know it wasn't right of us to do it...but we didn't know any better, we didn't mean to exclude Lincoln to the Sticky Table!" This statement caused Judge Snapper to suddenly raise an eyebrow and she asked what this "sticky table" was.

"Well...as the name implies, it's the stickiest table in the cafeteria at our school" he murmured, "it's a place where all social outcasts were expected to sit." Upon saying the words "social outcast;" Rusty's shame grew so high, the weight of it felt like he was being crushed under a boulder. "So...just to recap here, you've exiled your best friend to an unwanted cafeteria table...because of his younger sister's actions" Ms. Baldur muttered, "how disgraceful."

From the judge, the jury, the gallery and even Ms. Baldur's associates; everyone couldn't help but agree with her opinion. What was even more unacceptable was the fact that the school chose to let a table get to such a disgusting state. But Principal Huggins tried to save face by proclaiming the school "didn't have enough in the budget" for the janitorial staff to purchase new cleaning solutions.

While the judge was prepared to scorn Huggins for his penny pinching, she quickly remembered to focus on the matter at hand and turned towards Rusty. "So, young man; what happened next" she asked, "what happened after you chose to shun one of the few friends you had?" After taking a moment to recover from the chill of guilt brought on by her words, Rusty explained how Lincoln suggested to Lisa that she should try to be more "average."

"The young man speaks the truth, Your Honor" Lisa interjected, "furthermore, I _chose_ to go along with it; believing it would be an excellent sociological challenge." She then went on to explain how she not only changed her look by disposing of her glasses and mussing her hair. But she also created a sort of "behavioral modification collar."

"This collar was designed to discipline me anytime I chose to act intelligent" she stated, "the method was humane, of course; nothing but soft squirts of water into my face." Feeling curious, Mr. Bush asked what else happened during the event in question and he welcomed either Rusty or Lisa to answer. "I can't really offer much...sorry" murmured Rusty, "but from what me and the gang heard from Lincoln, his family was majorly cheesed off for helping Lisa to act more 'normal.'"

After this; Lisa, without any emotion in her voice, spoke about each time her family or others punished Lincoln for "what he did." From failing to help Lori and Lola win a radio contest, not assisting their father with cooking, failing to notify her mother on the proper time to pick up Pop-Pop or refusing to help give her teacher, Ms. Shrinivas an antidote she was making for Strep Throats (due to the whole class coming down with it;) she chose not to do stress herself over any of that... and it was all "thanks to Lincoln." Needless to say, this dug the family into an even deeper hole than the one they were already in.

"So...let me see if we can understand this; on one side, we have a boy, part of a group of boys, who shunned Lincoln because of _your_ actions" muttered Mr. Burns, "then, on the other side; we have your family who chose to punish him for _your_ choices." After making his statement, Mr. Burns took a moment to massage his temples; as a monster of a headache started to kick in. "To be honest, Ladies and Gentlemen; I can't decide who's more ignorant here" he groaned, "but it feels like the sisters are far worse, by comparison."

While jabbing a finger at the family's direction; Mr. Burns proclaimed how _Lisa_ should've been punished for everything that happened that day, not Lincoln. "But instead; like you've always done, you all chose to treat my client like a rotting piece of trash" he growled, "but the only garbage I see here are the people standing right in front of me!" Feeling threatened; Rita got nose-to-nose with the lawyer and gave the iconic "if you got a problem with me, say it to my face" quote to him.

Just before things would get too heated, Judge Snapper knocked her gavel on the podium and called for order. "I think we've heard enough from this witness" she murmured, "let us call someone else to the stand." Everyone in the courtroom nodded in agreement and the trial continued on from there.

(Line Break)

The next witness to the stand was a middle aged man dressed in grocery store employee attire. None of the Loud Sisters seemed to remember this individual very well but he recognized _them_ easily. Once sworn in, the man spoke about the day he saw the Loud Kids almost damage the entire supermarket.

"I worked for _weeks_ to get the place spic and span" he grumbled, "and then...that kid and his lousy sisters destroyed everything!" It didn't take long for Mr. Burns to say that the man might've been overly exaggerating with his story but the manager insisted it was all true. "I saw all eleven of those brats pounding and yelling at each other" he yelled, "one of 'em even knocked over a stack of cans that was set up."

Wishing to know more, Judge Snapper asked the bailiff to go and try to retrieve Lincoln for her. As if on cue, the boy in question came out of the back room and approached the stand; all while yawning softly. "Sorry everybody" he murmured, "I...(yawn) just got so cozy in there that I must've dozed off."

As Lincoln prepared to let out another yawn, he spotted the face of the grocery store manager glaring down at him; causing him to yelp in alarm. Once Lincoln had calmed down enough, everyone asked if could answer a few quick questions. "To start with, this man tells us you and your sisters wrecked a bit of his store" Mr. Burns stated, "is he correct or just exaggerating?"

At first, Lincoln tried to appear calm and collected enough to answer the question. But anytime he saw the manager glaring at him, he shivered like he was staring into the eyes of a hungry bear. Then, he looked over at the rest of the Gal Pals and he could see Stella giving him some inhaling and exhaling gestures; as if silently telling him to take calming breaths.

After taking a moment to do just that, Lincoln faced the judge and asked what questions she had. "For starters, why were you at the store at all" questioned Mr. Bush, "were either of your parents with you?" Lincoln immediately shook his head and said how he offered to buy the family groceries for the month.

"That seems rather thoughtful, young man" complimented Judge Snapper, "but...something tells me there's more to the story than that." Lincoln nodded silently and added how he was anxious to try a new cereal called Zombie Bran he had his eye on. "See, I rarely ask for anything at home" he murmured, "maybe a new Ace Savvy comic, a chance to sleepover with a friend, the chance to go to a concert or something...but mostly reasonable stuff."

From there, he said how he originally thought one box of cereal _was_ a reasonable addition to the grocery list. But alas, his mother revealed that the budget was rather tight and they couldn't afford to buy any "treats." "Are you serious...ARE YOU ACTUALLY SERIOUS HERE" roared Judge Snapper, "I can understand the budget thing...but is buying _one_ box of cereal really _that_ rich for your blood?"

At first, Rita was prepared to make a sort of snappy comeback...but realized it was best to hold her tongue. After everything that's happened up until this point; the family was up to their chins in hot water and if they went any deeper, they'd get burned. "Well...not exactly, Your Honor" she murmured hesitantly, "but many of the groceries were ingredients my husband needed for his recipes or food props my daughter, Luan might need for her performances...and those can get rather expensive."

Agent McKenzie couldn't help but scoff at Mrs. Loud; proclaiming that if her family could afford to feed all of the exotic pets they had or allow one of their youngest daughters to use dangerous experimental tech, a box of cereal would be the least of their financial worries. Moving along, the manager said he caught Lincoln running around the store; which was against the rules he established.

"Oh...so, once someone breaks on of your 'rules;' you immediately kick them out" questioned Ms. Baldur, "you don't give them a chance to explain or fix their mistakes, just...'scram, you're outta here?!'" The manager didn't quite enjoy the tone Ms. Baldur was using on him and he made sure to let her know...but it did little to deter her. "Fact of the matter is, _Sir..._you seem almost as tight-fisted as Miss Lori Loud over there" she said firmly, "you just used the same dumb 'guilty by association' rule young Mr. Spokes and his friends did and wrongfully punished my client!"

After that, the manager tried many times to defend himself; making sure to list all the things the Loud Sisters did. But unfortunately, Ms. Baldur chewed him out at every attempt; which the Gal Pals couldn't help but admire. While she _did_ applaud the manager on his desire for order, Baldur and her partners agreed that he was grossly unfair to all his customers (not just the Louds.)

"Did you even bother to ask who was in the wrong...at all" questioned Mr. Burns, "because from our perspective, the fault (once again) falls onto the Loud Sisters." Upon taking the floor, he mentioned how the task for retrieving the grocery items on Mrs. Loud's list was Lincoln's responsibility alone and that his sisters had zero right to accompany him. "From what we heard from Linc, Sir...the only reason Lori went with him is because of her boyfriend" Stella interjected suddenly, "before moving away, he had a job as a stock boy and...he and Lori are obsessed with each other."

After this, the judge asked why Lincoln didn't tell his sisters to stay behind and let him go to the market himself. "From what he told me, Your Honor; Lincoln thought having his sisters along would be a big help" Rita replied, "but it seems to me they were anything but." No sooner had she said this, the manager informed the Loud Parents of everything his sisters did.

These incidents included Lynn Jr. riding a grocery cart like a race car, Lisa trying to "cryogenically freeze herself" in the frozen foods bin, Lori constantly distracting Bobby from his duties and Leni knocking all the chickens out of the rotisserie. When the judge questioned the young teen in question on _why_ she messed with the rotisserie, Leni's response was "I was trying to set them free." The moment she said this, many people began to question if the girl was either messing around with them or if she truly was _that_ lack-witted.

"Then, when Lincoln tried to check out his cereal; that's when things got...less rockin'" murmured Luna shamefully, "we all started demanding that _we_ should get treats as well or demanded that Lincoln put _his_ back if we couldn't."

There was groaning aplenty in the room, all of it based on sheer disappointment towards the girls. "I'd expect this sort of behavior from toddlers" grumbled Judge Snapper, "but the fact that four of your girls are in High School and _chose_ to act like this is...is just pitiful." Thinking quickly; the girls tried to save face by revealing that in the end, they bought the cereal for him.

"My lil' bro earned that Zombie Bran fair and square...but he lost his opportunity, because of us" Luna murmured, "so, we thought buying it for him ourselves would make things right and at the time; it did." After hearing this reveal, Judge Snapper commended Luna for her honesty. However, the deed had already been done and even this act of good could not completely change how the court felt.

After this, the manager was dismissed from the stand and he went back to his seat. "Does the defense have any witnesses to call" questioned Judge Snapper, "and I would suggest you make them a good choice, otherwise...it could lead to a less desirable fate for you all." After taking a quick look around at the roster of surprise witnesses, Lisa decided to call their grandfather to the stand.

With this choice, Rita and Lynn Sr. suddenly felt peaceful; believing "Pop-Pop" would have their backs. As Albert took his seat, Lisa approached the bench and greeted him kindly; while also doing her best to remain professional. Albert meanwhile still had an indifferent look on his face, the same look he had when he helped bail them out of the Cooler, long ago.

"I...I apologize that you are once again meeting us in a less than desirable locale, Pop-Pop" she murmured nervously, "but I'm hoping you could provide some statements to the court that would help defend us." With a reluctant sigh, Albert agreed that he would help; provided that the family would come together again, after all this was finished. "That's up for me and the jury to decide, Sir" murmured Judge Snapper, "though it pains me to say it, that's the way things must be done here."

Albert nodded slightly in understanding and urged everyone to proceed. "Now, then; the media has dubbed our family abusive, neglectful and...manipulative towards Lincoln" she stated, the last word proving mildly difficult to say (emotionally speaking;) "would you agree with such statements?" Immediately, Albert shook his head and praised just how loving the kids can often be.

"They always visit me at the home, always cheer me and my team on at our shuffleboard games and there was one time where they did the absolute darndest thing" he said with a chuckle, "long story short, I see promising careers in acting for each of them; if nothing else works out." Feeling curious, Judge Snapper asked what happened on the event in question that would warrant such a compliment/comment. "Well, as far as I know; all ten of the kids had stuff to do, one day" explained Pop-Pop, "along with Spring Cleaning, I wanted to chat with them on the webcam...but some of them accidentally made other plans."

The judge's eyes fell upon the Loud Sisters, as if expecting confirmation from them. "Our grandfather speaks the truth, Your Honor" Lisa sighed, "aside from Spring Cleaning, each of us _did_ make plans before realizing what would happen on the day in question; such as Lynn Jr. wishing to visit the batting cages, Leni wishing to visit a Spring Sale at the mall or Lori wanting to have another rendezvous with Bobby." When the judge asked who would be the one covering for them, each of the four girls pointed at Lincoln.

"That sounds ridiculous, girls" she said with a laugh, "how could _one_ boy imitate _four_ girls of different ages and personalities?" As if on cue, Lincoln cleared his throat and began to impersonate each of the four sisters in question. Of course, he lacked the proper item he needed for this demonstration; something he called "The Trunk."

But he would have to make due, in spite of that. The first sister he impersonated was Lori, which greatly surprised a lot of people; especially the girl in question. Next was Lucy and to help with his performance, he covered his hair slightly over his eyes to help give him the right look.

For Lynn, he did his best to mimic her fighting moves...only to trip over himself numerous times; thus causing the court to laugh softly. For the final impression, Lincoln asked if he could skip portraying Lily; considering how she was still asleep and didn't want to wake her. "That is quite alright, Mr. Loud" Judge Snapper replied, "I've gotta say, that was an impressive set of skills you showed off just now."

There was a light applause from everyone in the courtroom, which made Lincoln feel compelled to take a bow. After sprucing himself up again, Lincoln continued the story. "Like I said, we each had different things to do that day and couldn't do both them _and_ Spring Cleaning _and_ greet Pop-Pop all at once" Lincoln explained, "so...each of us took turns covering for each other."

He then revealed the main reason it was possible, an old trunk containing each of the kids' outfits. "When our folks found out, they applauded us for the clever idea" Lincoln stated, "but were still disappointed in us deceiving them and Pop-Pop." It was here that Lincoln revealed the punishment they had in mind for him and his sisters.

Spring Cleaning would be pushed to another day and the kids would be allowed to do their activities. "But there was a catch" Lincoln said suddenly, "we would all have to do our things...while dressed up in the outfits we had." Both the judge and jury agreed this didn't seem too bad and admittedly, it wasn't.

But for some of the Loud Kids, it just made things a smidge awkward. "After hearing this story, I feel like there's something we can all take away from it" murmured Ms. Baldur, "that there _was_ once a time where Lincoln and his sisters had each other's backs, as they say." There was a murmur of agreement from the crowd, while Pop-Pop did something to the girls he hadn't done in a long time...he smiled at them.

"You're right, Your Honor; there _was_ a time where my grandkids watched out for each other" Albert murmured, "which makes me all the more confused and disappointed to see them at each other's throats this way." Upon hearing him say this, Mr. Bush questioned if he had ever witnessed any of their infamous quarrels during his visits. "Well, not really" he murmured with uncertainty, "I mean...I've seen them _verbally_ bicker, once or twice but that's it."

After this; he went on to describe his initial shock at what he'd been seeing, reading and watching on the news. "I mean...to drive your brother into leaving his home for safety is one thing" Albert murmured, "but to kick him out because he's bad luck or force him into a mascot costume in the heat on a beach scenery...it's just shameful." Soon, the poor fellow felt himself becoming flustered, Albert asked if he could return to his seat and the judge allowed it.

As the old man made his way to his seat, the Loud Sisters all sent sympathetic glances his way; hoping he would forgive them...one day. Soon after that, the prosecution called a particularly interesting witness to the stand; Dr. Anastasia Lopez. While Lincoln and Clyde remained calm at this announcement, the Loud Sisters were all looking at one another in confusion; even Lynn from way over where _she_ sat felt perplexed by this development.

Before she approached the stand, Dr. Lopez took a moment to greet Lincoln with a friendly hug. "Hello, dear; it's nice to see you again" she said in a nurturing tone, "I heard about your earlier episode...and I'm sorry it happened." Lincoln shook his head slightly and returned her hug.

"You have no reason to apologize, Doctor" he murmured, "after all...it wasn't _you_ who caused me to flip out." In an instant, images of him venting his aggression out on the mascot costume quickly replayed in Lincoln's mind; causing him to shiver slightly. "Don't worry, I'm here to set things right" Dr. Lopez assured, "as well as reveal certain discoveries I've made about you and your family, after our session together."

With that said; the doctor took her seat, took the oath and watched as Ms. Balder approached the stand. "Ma'am; judging by your title, I imagine you work in some sort of medical field" she stated, "would you care to tell the court about it?" Without hesitation, Dr. Lopez took a breath and spoke openly to the crowd.

She mentioned her career as a psychologist, her years in college studying the field and that her most frequent patients were one Clyde McBride and his fathers, Howard and Harold. "I adore the boy, I truly do" she sighed, "he just...he has a tendency to call me at the most ill opportune times." As a final point; she went on to say that Clyde's primary reason for calling her always seemed to involve Lincoln's eldest sister, Lori.

"It seems the young man keeps you busy, Doctor" Ms. Baldur quipped, "but what was your reaction when you were asked to speak with Lincoln?" Dr. Lopez turned to the boy in question, took note of his mildly frazzled state and frowned slightly. "To start with; when I heard my phone ringing, I presumed it was Clyde or his fathers calling me again" she admitted, "but instead, it was a woman's voice; specifically that of a teenage girl."

The moment this was brought up, Mrs. Pingrey stood up from the Jury Booth and said that her daughter was the one who made the call. "Poor Lincoln had the truly horrible nightmare, after having an otherwise joyful time at a friend's party hours before it happened" she explained, "I believe my daughter said the dream involved Lincoln...almost plunging into Hell?" There was a cacophony of loud, horrified gasps from everyone in the courtroom.

Even the Louds themselves were surprised by this, wondering what might've driven Lincoln to have such a horrid dream. Coincidentally, Ms. Baldur asked that very question to Dr. Lopez; who initially hesitated before answering. "It all stemmed from guilt, pure and simple" she stated, "the poor boy blamed himself for everything that happened to his family and believed he would or should be condemned for it all."

Dr. Lopez then mentioned other previous nightmares Lincoln had in the days before Spring Break began, which were all based around his growing guilt and shame. "Whenever he heard about others finding out about his plight, he grew worried" Dr. Lopez stated, "whenever he heard of his family facing punishment, he became guilty and when he first learned about this court hearing...well, you may be able to decipher the rest." Ms. Baldur kindly stopped the doctor there, proclaiming they've heard enough on that.

"For now, we'd like to hear about these 'discoveries' you've made during yours and Lincoln's session" she requested, "of course...you don't have to, if you don't want to; doctor/patient confidentiality and all that." It's true; even in court, doctors of all kinds were forbidden to disclose information on their patients. That is to say, this would not be allowed; without the patient's consent.

So, she cast a glance over towards Lincoln and gave him a look; one that seemed to ask him "do I have your permission to speak further?" Without saying a word, Lincoln smiled slightly at Dr. Lopez and gave her a nod. With this matter settled, the good doctor cleared her throat and brought out a briefcase.

Upon opening it, she brought out eleven stacks of paper; each one bearing a picture of an individual Loud Sibling. "Up until now; Lincoln has shared much regarding his insecurities, his fears and most of all, his trials at home" Dr. Lopez explained, "after hearing much of this in private with him, I began to do research." When asked what this research was, she said that it involved a theory; one that spoke about the possibility of each Loud sibling suffering from some form of mental disorder.

"With all due respect, 'Doctor;' I'll have you know that each of my kids are perfectly sane" Lynn Sr. proclaimed, "the fact that you're even suggesting that any of them are mentally ill is just...offensive!" Despite the man's tone of voice, Dr. Lopez remained calm and held her ground. "The truth is, Mr. Loud; many believe that mental illness is a physical, emotional and/or psychological circumstance" she explained, "by which, I mean that a person can suffer a form of mental illness due to an injury or something that changes them emotionally or psychologically."

To begin her statement, Dr. Lopez picked up a stack of papers with Lori's picture on it. "After speaking with him in my office, I looked through my books while using my notes from our talk as references" she explained, "to start with...from what Lincoln told me; his eldest sister, Lori seems to suffer from either a Superiority Complex or a form of OCD." Upon hearing this, Leni questioned what sort of CD Lori was looking for.

"No, my dear; I mean O.C.D." Dr. Lopez said while emphasizing each letter, "they are initials that stand for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder." Sensing that some felt unfamiliar with it; Dr. Lopez explained that OCD was a psychological disorder where the individual would have "uncontrollable urges or behavioral patterns." As examples; she said that these individuals would spend life repeating certain words, acting in a certain way or wishing for things to go about in a certain way for the sake of "familiarity/comfort."

"During our session, he told me that Lori would use the term 'literally' in almost every sentence she would say" she stated, "sometimes, this would be done where it wouldn't be grammatically correct." This caused several of the Loud Sisters to giggle, believing that the word's definition described Lori to a "T." "Nearly everyone we know has heard Lori say 'literally' almost several dozen times" Lana stated, "these other witnesses must know what I'm talkin' about."

Meanwhile, the girl in question crossed her arms bitterly; feeling as though she was being mocked. "Okay, so...I may use that word a lot" Lori admitted, "but that lit...I mean, that doesn't mean that I have OCD!" Dr. Lopez shook her head slightly and proclaimed there was more to it than that.

"Lincoln also told me that you often have tendencies to force him into circumstances he doesn't approve of" she stated, "a prime example of this; your beau's younger sister, someone called Ronnie Anne." The moment she said this, Albert rose from his seat and proclaimed he heard the whole story for himself days before. "Basically, the girls thought of taking care of the bully themselves; once they learned what was happening" he stated, "but once they found out the bully was a _girl_, they claimed everything she did was all because she 'liked him.'"

These words suddenly caused the courtroom to echo with loud murmurs of disbelief or near uproarious laughter. This in turn, caused the Loud Sisters to become defensive; Lori, in particular. "But it's true, I've seen loads of people do it" she cried, "I even used to do it to Bobby, when _we_ were kids!"

As the laughter and chattering continued, two people kept their reserve; Judge Snapper and Lincoln himself. Eventually, the judge called for order and took a moment to consider her words; before looking towards Lori. "Out of curiosity, young lady; who fed you this idea of bullies using abuse as a method of 'affection'" she asked, "because whoever it was...THEY'RE FEEDING YOU NOTHING BUT TRUCK LOADS OF BULLSHIT!"

This sudden outburst from the judge took everyone by surprise, especially Lincoln. "True, bullies may choose to hide their insecurities behind rough exteriors or gestures" she murmured, "but it doesn't always mean that they secretly have feelings for you." To prove her point, she spoke of a case where she witnessed two parents suing the parents of a bully at their child's school.

"To make a grim tale short; the poor kid was picked on so senselessly, it drove him to hang himself in his bedroom" Judge Snapper said grimly, "but by _your_ logic, young lady...the two of them should've been dating after the fifth atomic wedgie!" Soon, Lori felt as though she was experiencing a sense of déjà vu. It wasn't that long ago when her parents and Pop-Pop gave her a similar...yet not quite so grim lecture.

But just like before, she held to her guns and insisted that Lincoln and Ronnie Anne belonged together. "Young lady, why does it matter to you if they _did _end up together" questioned Mr. Burns, "what do _you_ specifically have to gain from it?" From here; Lori claimed that by dating Ronnie Anne, it would bring her and Bobby "even closer than they were now."

"We would go on double dates, we'd have dinner together, cuddle together; the works" Lori stated, "is it really so bad for me to help my brother find true love?!" In response; Dr. Lopez reminded her that Lincoln was still eleven years old and thus, wasn't quite emotionally ready for a relationship...yet. "Agreed; just because you presumably had the 'perfect relationship,' that doesn't mean you can force your ideals onto others" Judge Snapper said firmly, "I didn't meet _my_ lover until I was in college."

After this, Lincoln stood up and said that it wasn't just relationships Lori claimed to have authority on. "Truthfully, she claims that she has he highest authority in everything" he grumbled, "she once deliberately sabotaged Leni's attempts to earn a driver's license, just so she wouldn't have to give up the car keys." Upon mentioning this, Lincoln then brought up all the times Lori manipulated everyone in the family to do things for her; in hopes of earning a ride to someplace.

"In fact; during the selfie race she and Carol had, she talked _me_ into posing as a barista so that she'd take me to the comic shop" Lincoln stated, "I wanted to refuse...but I really needed the ride." From this story, it became clear to both the judge and Dr. Lopez that Lori had a tendency to wave her title as family driver over her siblings' collective heads like it was the Sword of Damocles. "It seems to me, Miss Lori that you love to be in control" the doctor said, "but should you feel like that control is threatened, you'd do anything to stop someone from surpassing you."

As the crowd began to murmur around her for the eleventeenth time that day, Lori finally lost it and slammed her hands upon the table. "Okay...so, I like to be in charge but so what, it's my job" she cried, "_I'm_ the eldest sibling; so, that means that I'm the only one who can keep my family of nutjobs in check!" Upon being called nutjobs, the other seven Loud Sisters glared daggers at Lori and were prepared to fight her.

But before even _one_ fist could be raised, several officers came over and quickly restrained them; even Lana and Lola. The girls wriggled and shook in the officers' grip, demanding to be released. "After an outburst like that, Missy; you'd be lucky I don't throw you in a cell here and now" growled Judge Snapper, "you may claim to have rule over your siblings...but you're in _my_ house now and all ten of ya are gonna follow_ my_ rules...understand?!"

Reluctantly; all the Loud Sisters, even Lori and Lynn, nodded silently in compliance and sat back into their chairs. After that minor episode was settled, Dr. Lopez went on with the rest of her theory. One by one, she deduced that every member of the Loud Children seemed to suffer from some form of disorder or emotional complex.

She began to match several different disorders, complexes or disabilities she believed several of the girls suffered from.

Lori; OCD

Leni: Learning Disabilities

Luan: ADHD

Lynn Jr.: Personality Disorder

Lucy: Mild Depression

Lola: Juvenile Narcissism

Lisa: Either Autism or Asperger Syndrome

After this; everyone noticed that the only ones Dr. Lopez did not mention on the list were Luna, Lincoln, Lana and Lily. "With all due respect, Doctor; why haven't you mentioned the remaining four" Ms. Baldur asked, "are you presuming that each of them are fully sane?" In response, Dr. Lopez said that Lily was exempt; due to being an infant.

"As for Lana, Lincoln and Luna...well; the young man was particularly difficult to figure out" she explained, "from what I've heard and the state of his emotions, I cannot decide if he struggles with Atychiphobia (which is a fear of failure) or Syngenesophobia (which is an overall fear of one's family.") To conclude, she added that there wasn't anything particularly "wrong" with either Luna or Lana. "Truthfully, they seem to be the most 'normal' among them all" Dr. Lopez stated, "that is...when it comes to their personalities."

Shocked, Lori leapt from her spot and said that there was nothing normal about a girl who rolls in the mud or collects disgusting "vermin" as pets. "Actually, Miss Loud; in some circles...that _is_ normal" Judge Snapper retorted, "she's a toddler, toddlers always like rolling in the mud; it's what they've always done and continue to do." On the matter of Luna, Dr. Lopez said that her behavior was actually quite natural.

"She's a musician, they are known to be rather eccentric" she stated, "just look at Mick Swagger, Elton John, Voltaire and others." The judge and jury nodded slightly in agreement, recalling the many times the aforementioned performers acted outlandishly while performing. But it was this very reason why they were so beloved...and the same could be said about Luna.

"More to the point; as I've said, I have reason to believe that nearly every child within the Loud Family suffers from a form of mental or emotional disorder" she stated, "however strong the effects may be." The moment she finished, Lori grumbled something that seemed to say that she and her sisters were_ all_ 100% "sane." "Girls like me are teenagers and teens are known to be, as you would say, 'bossy and mean'" she grumbled, "if you want to punish me for that, why not attack me for being younger than you as well?!"

Upon hearing this, Leni stood up and kindly reminded Lori that most of their friends were the same age. "But none of _them_ were ever mean" she murmured, "sure...we may fight over who should hit the sales first or who would want to go where but still..." Before Leni could finish; Lori, with her teeth and fists clenched tightly, glared at her and said she wasn't helping her.

"Leni's right, not all girls their age are as mean or fickle as Lori claims" Lincoln declared, "neither Cici nor Phoebe are as pushy as Lynn often is, for example." Infuriated, Lynn Jr. began bouncing her chair about like she was a rodeo rider. But the bailiff quickly took hold of her and kept her grounded. However, everyone could clearly see the fiery red glow of rage on Lynn's face; despite being momentarily subdued

After casting a quick glance in the girl's direction, Dr. Lopez could see she was ready to burst; which gave her just the idea of whom to speak about next. "In another story; Lincoln told me something rather interesting about his sister, Lynn Jr." she explained, "to the point, inside that brutish jock exterior is the spirit of a timid lass that wouldn't hurt a fly."

Upon hearing these words, Lynn began bouncing up and down her chair; all while screaming some form of muffled rants. Meanwhile, Judge Snapper turned towards Lincoln and asked if what he told the doctor was true? "It is, Ma'am" he murmured simply, "Lynn told me so herself while me and Clyde were on a field trip to the Middle School for orientation."

To begin, Lincoln described how Lynn volunteered to be their guide on the trip. Upon their arrival, he and Clyde were beyond excited and were anxious to see what awaited them inside. "But before we could go in, Lynn stopped us" he stated, "she said that we couldn't afford to 'look like noobs' in the eyes of the upperclassmen."

After this, Ms. Baldur asked why she said this; to which Lincoln replied with a story Lynn told them. "Each time we tried to ask for directions, find a seat in class or tried to own up for a mistake; Lynn always butted in" he explained, "she said that if we went along with our plans, the school would either mock us or we'd get ourselves into trouble." Intrigued, Judge Snapper asked why his sister was so hung up on trying to "keep them out of trouble."

"Before I begin, I just want to say...I don't care if Lynn tries to beat me up for confessing" Lincoln said stoically, "what I've endured this past week or so was much worse than anything she can do to me." Soon after he said this; Lynn gave him a look that seemed to say "wanna bet on that, twerp?" After taking a moment to calm his nerves, Lincoln told the court everything.

"To begin with, the girl in each of Lynn's stories...was actually Lynn herself" he stated, "everything from getting lost in school for a day, getting stuck in a desk that was too small for her (which led to her having to be greased out) to being laughed at after owning up to farting in class...they were all her." There was a soft murmur heard around the court room but much to Lynn's surprise; these were whispers of empathy, not mockery. After that, Lincoln finished his story in saying that Lynn used to be a gentle soul; just like him.

"But after all those bad moments; she felt that if she acted tough, people would stop picking on her" he stated, "and it actually worked...just a little too well." As a final statement; Lincoln said that by choosing to put up her tough guy act (or tough _girl_ act, rather;) any piece of her former gentle self was later extinguished and was forever replaced by the brute sitting before him. "C'mon, Lincoln; you're literally exaggerating" Lori groaned, "Lynn may...act a little aggressive but she's not a monster."

After letting out a sarcastic chuckle, Lincoln said the time came to reveal a crucial element about the "No Such Luck Incident" that wasn't brought up earlier. "After a whole week of supporting my sisters, I was ready to relax and read my comics in my room" he stated, "but then...Lynn comes up to me and says 'hey, Stinkin'; you're coming to my ball game, right?'" From here, Lincoln said how he respectfully told Lynn that he didn't want to go to the game.

"I had been to pageants, comedy shows, band rehearsals...even rodeos in that month alone" he grumbled, "all to support my family, so...I felt like I was entitled to a little R&R." When asked what happened next; the boy sighed and brought up how Lynn threatened to hit him with a bat, if he refused to go. After this, Lynn again let out some angry rants; which almost brought the court towards wanting to ignore her.

But Lisa chose to approach her elder sister and listen intently to her muffled screams. Everyone watched as the two sisters "talked" to each other and waited to see what would happen next. Finally, after Lynn's ranting ceased; Lisa adjusted her glasses and approached the judge.

"My sister has informed me that before the events in question, Lincoln had yet to attend any of her other six games she had played in and won" the wee genius murmured, "thus, she felt that Lincoln was obligated to come...without question." For a moment or so, the court appeared to be taking Lynn's "testimony" to heart; which made her think she was in the clear. But alas, Fate wasn't quite favoring her today and the judge (once again) glowered at her.

"Perhaps you missed the part where he visited your other sisters' many events, young lady" she grumbled, "if you'd listened, you would understand that doing all that could wear _anyone_ out." Everyone else in the courtroom roared in agreement, which reduced anymore of Lynn's rantings to mere whispers. "As you can see, Your Honor; I've tried standing up to my sisters on many occasions" Lincoln muttered, "but they always find a way to either make me surrender or turn me into a weakling."

Dr. Lopez gasped in shock at his words, momentarily left the stand and held Lincoln tight in her arms; as the poor boy came close to crying with shame. "Lincoln, you are many things; loyal, friendly, creative...a bit of an over-thinker or mildly selfish on occasion" she said while adding a slight giggle on the last term, "but you are most certainly _not_ weak." She then cast a firm glare in Lynn's direction and proclaimed_ her_ to be the weak one.

That did it; after being called weak, it gave Lynn Jr. the push she needed to act. After wriggling frantically in her chair, once again; she was finally able to shake loose her face mask and sent it flying across the room. "You've got some nerve calling _me_, of all people, weak; Doc" she growled, "I'm the strongest member of my family, the top athlete in every sport we play at my school, I've earned more trophies than any other athlete my age!"

The court couldn't help but groan loudly with annoyance, proclaiming that they've seen and heard enough of her posturing herself. "Okay...fine, have it your way" she grumbled, "but answer me this; what's Stinkin' got that I don't, what makes _him_ stronger than _me?_" For a moment, hardly anyone spoke up; mainly because there some of them didn't know Lincoln that well to answer.

Finally, Phoebe and Cici rose from their seats and asked the judge if they might speak up; which she granted. "With all due respect, Lynn; _you_ might be a good athlete" Cici murmured, "but by putting on this tough girl act of yours, everyone can clearly see how weak you truly are." Phoebe nodded in agreement to her friend's words and said that _real_ strength came from inside.

"It comes from being yourself, regardless of whether or not people might laugh at you" she stated, "your bro and his pal did just that, after almost getting in trouble with us and our friends at school." Feeling curious, both the judge and Dr. Lopez asked what happened on the day in question. "Because of Lynn's dumb advice, Linc and Clyde caused a bit of trouble for a lot of us at the Middle School" Phoebe replied, "the first thing they did was accidentally ruining my class' photography project, one we worked a whole month on."

Upon hearing this, Lincoln timidly apologized for the incident in question (for like, the eleventeenth time.) Not long after, Phoebe smiled softly at him and gave him a high five; assuring him that it was all water under the bridge. "The same kind of misunderstanding happened with _me_ as well" Cici interjected, "Lynn made him believe he had to 'claim his territory,' before he would get stuck with a bad desk." Cici explained how because of this bad advice; Lincoln and Clyde accidentally got her and her pal, Byron in trouble at class.

"But don't worry, Linc" Cici said with a chuckle, "we're square now...especially after we learned _why_ you two did all that in the first place." Once more, all eyes fell onto Lynn; who almost felt the urge to speak up. But after remembering how much trouble she was already in, she simply slouched in her chair in silent defeat.

"If I might ask, Lincoln; why _did_ you follow her advice at all" Judge Snapper inquired, "surely, you must've known _something_ was amiss with it all." With a deep sigh, Lincoln admitted that he _did_ feel like something felt off about Lynn's advice. But he defended her, surprisingly by saying he only did it because she was the only one in his family who was still in Middle School.

As such, Lincoln and Clyde believed she truly knew how to "survive" being there. "I'm not very comfortable in unfamiliar situations, you see" he admitted, "but if given the proper push, I try my best to persevere." The judge nodded slightly with a smile, commending Lincoln on his steadfastness.

"The truth is, though; whenever I _do_ choose to follow their advice...it only seems to get me into trouble" he sighed, "especially when it comes to anything about romance." It was here that Lincoln, once again brought up the matter about Ronnie Anne. He mentioned how upset he was, one day after receiving another Sloppy Joe in his pants from her.

"To make matters worse, there was a note attached to it; which led some classmates to act like we _were_ a couple" Lincoln grumbled, "anything sound familiar, folks?" Principal Huggins was quite surprised that this kind of behavior went on in his cafeteria. _"Perhaps, the time has come that we should add a lunch room monitor"_ he thought to himself,_ "I'll make sure to bring that up at the next PTA meeting."_

At that moment, Huggins' train of thought was suddenly disturbed by Lincoln's voice; who added another element to his tale. "I was annoyed and stressed out, at the moment; you see" he muttered, "but looking back...I realize now that maybe...I shouldn't have said what I did." When asked about what he said; Lincoln, after taking in a nervous gulp, repeated everything...word for word.

"As my friends started singing 'Ronnie Anne and Lincoln sitting in a tree,' I...I said..." he murmured, "I said 'Guys, Ronnie Anne is NOT my girlfriend. She's rude and gross and totally annoying. I'd rather lick the bathroom floor than kiss that weirdo!'" There was a soft gasp from the crowd and Lincoln's parents looked at him with mild glances of disapproval.

Even Judge Snapper was taken aback slightly by his choice of words. But when she remembered how much stress Lincoln was under from both the bullying and his peers teasing him, she calmed down a little. "I know it wasn't right for me to say all that" Lincoln admitted, "but between the sandwiches in the pants, stuffing garbage into my locker and all the arm punches...I just...I couldn't take it anymore!" Upon hearing all this, everyone began to question if the girls were right to assume that this Ronnie Anne truly liked him at all.

"Needless to say, Ronnie Anne told Bobby about it and then...he told Lori" Lincoln murmured, "right before he chose to break up with her." While Lori sat silently in her seat, gripping at the armrests angrily; Judge Snapper questioned why Lori's boyfriend would choose to break up with her. "According to Lori, he couldn't date someone who hurt someone who he was related to" Lincoln murmured, "or...something along those lines."

He then mentioned how Lori threatened to hit him with the nightstand, if he didn't go with her on a double date with Bobby and Ronnie Anne. "She claimed that instead of sending her a text, Ronnie had to _see_ me being nice to her" Lincoln murmured with a dejected sigh, "said something about actions speaking louder than words...or whatever kind of stupid garbage she believes in." Feeling cornered, Lori looked around the courtroom and started waving her arms frantically in Lincoln's direction.

"DON'T YOU PEOPLE GET IT" she wailed, "LINCOLN HURT RONNIE ANNE'S FEELINGS..._HE'S_ THE BAD GUY HERE, NOT ME!" Frustrated, Judge Snapper slammed her gavel hard and demanded that Lori kept quiet. "Perhaps Lincoln shouldn't have said what he did that day in school" she muttered while rubbing her temples, "you're right on that part...but wrong in everything else."

Dr. Lopez nodded in agreement and said that neither Lori nor any of her sisters had the right to force Lincoln with Ronnie Anne, if he had no desire to do so. "Love is something that just...happens at random chance" she muttered, "it cannot be forced upon you by others, it just...hits you when you least expect it." After this, Dr. Lopez was dismissed from the stand and was escorted back to her seat.

But before she sat down, she hugged Lincoln one final time and reminded him to stay strong...no matter what. The young Loud boy thanked Dr. Lopez for her help and they both took their seats. Afterward, Mr. Bush stood before the crowd and cleared his throat. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we've learned quite a bit about both sides; while the good doctor was at the stand" he stated, "but during the testimony, I couldn't help but notice that a certain name was repeatedly used; namely...Ronnie Anne."

From here; he suggested that after talking about the girl for so long, the time had finally come for the girl to present _her_ testimony. "At this time; for my next surprise witness, I call to the stand...Miss Ronnie Anne Santiago" he proclaimed, "perhaps _she_ can help us understand things a bit more." This sudden announcement took everyone by surprise, particularly Lincoln and his family.

Considering how Great Lakes City was three hours apart from Royal Woods and the fact that the family was busy with their own affairs, everyone wondered how would Ronnie Anne be able to testify in court? Then, another bailiff walked into the room; holding what looked like a laptop in his hands. Upon arriving at the bench; the bailiff placed the laptop upon a desk, unfolded it, took out some plugs and began attaching them to a nearby outlet.

Then, he turned on the laptop and faced it towards the gallery. Everyone watched in silence, while all this was transpiring; wondering just what was going on. Then, after a while, the screen flashed on and someone's eye suddenly appeared.

_"Hello...uh, hello; can anyone hear me"_ murmured a young lady's voice_ "I hope I'm getting through okay."_ As the judge saw many people squinting their eyes, she realized the laptop might be too small for everyone to see the girl on screen. "Bailiff, see if you can attach the webcam to the TV over here" she suggested, "perhaps, we'll be able to see her much easier that way."

The man nodded silently and, after some technical work, the laptop was hooked up and Ronnie Anne's image appeared on the TV screen. _"Uh...hey, everybody"_ she murmured shyly,_ "can you hear or see me alright?"_ Everyone murmured softly in agreement while also giving her either a thumb's up or an "a-okay" hand sign.

Meanwhile, the Louds were confused how Ronnie Anne was allowed to stand witness via a webcam. When they asked the judge and lawyers about this, Mr. Bush said that Ronnie Anne's mother called ahead and made the request herself. "At first, the idea seemed rather...unorthodox" he admitted, "but considering the distances between here and Great Lakes City, we've decided to go along with it."

With that said, everyone went into a respectful silence; as the bailiff approached the screen and prepared to swear Ronnie Anne in. The whole time this happened, many questions went through Lincoln's mind. What would Ronnie Anne say, how would his family (Lori especially) react to her testimony and most of all, was her own family involved as well?

All Lincoln could do, for now was wait and see what would happen next.

(AN: And just like Lincoln, all of _you_ will have to wait and see what happens next. What do you think we can expect from Ronnie Anne's testimony? Tune in next time, to find out.)

(Second AN: Aside from No Such Luck; the other Loud House episode references include Cereal Offender, Save the Date, Middle Men, Cover Girls, 11 Louds A-Leapin', Linc or Swim, It's a Loud, Loud, Loud, Loud House and Crying Dame.)

(Third AN: Speaking of references, the "one day off" line Mr. Grouse uses is something inspired from the Spongebob episode, Krabs vs. Plankton.)

(Fourth AN: Dr. Lopez's theory about the Louds suffering from forms of mental illness or some forms of emotional complexes is based on a real world theory that can be found within the Loud House Wikia page; specifically within the user blog. Said user goes by the name CartoonEverything. Almost everything mentioned about the girls' issues is based on his theory.

Meanwhile, Lincoln's fear of his relatives stems from the fanfic title Syngenesophobia by That Engineer. The fear of failure thing, which is a phobia known as "_Atychiphobia,_" is something I've come across while doing research for Dr. Lopez's testimony. After seeing how terrified Lincoln often gets about screwing up and how easily intimidated he feels by his sisters, it seems both phobias reflect him quite strongly.)

(Final AN: If it seems like I was repeating myself in having Judge Snapper call BS on the Loud Sisters' idea on why Ronnie Anne bullies Lincoln; trust me, that's not the case. Much like Pop-Pop, the judge also senses severe holes in the girls' logic about their brother and Ronnie Anne's "relationship." Rest assured; come next chapter, the gal in question will definitely help set the Louds straight.)


	28. Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Trial Pt Four

The Trial – Part Four: Confessions and Convictions

After being sworn in, Judge Snapper asked for Ronnie Anne to get comfortable on her bed; which she did. Then, a moment later; Mr. Bush approached the television screen and rubbed his chin slightly. "Young lady, would you be so kind as to state your name for the court" he asked, "for the sake of procedure, you see."

At first, Ronnie Anne felt a touch nervous; doing something in front of big crowds was never one of her strong points, you see. But then; she saw Lincoln giving her the same "inhale, exhale" gesture some of his friends did earlier and Ronnie Anne did just that. After taking in a few calming breaths, she addressed the crowd as Ronalda Anne Santiago.

"Miss Santiago...before moving to your new home in Great Lakes; you and my client were classmates once, yes" he asked, earning a slight nod from Ronnie Anne; "how would you describe your earlier relationship with him, before moving away?" In that moment, Ronnie Anne didn't know which thing made her more nervous; the crowd looking at her or the question itself.

"Well...the truth is, it's...it's a little complicated to explain" she murmured, "but I imagine the Louds have already helped put ideas into your heads about the two of us." Several people nodded and murmured in understanding but Mr. Bush still urged Ronnie Anne to speak up, proclaiming that hearing _her_ side of the story could give some proper perspective on Lincoln's story. "Don't focus on the other people looking at you, dear" he said kindly, "just imagine it's the two of _us_ in this room."

Ronnie Anne considered the idea for a moment and then, after taking in some calming breaths; she focused her attention squarely on Mr. Bush. "As I said, the two of us have...a mildly complex history" she muttered, "I _did_ used to bully Lincoln, when we were in school together; just like he and his grandfather said." After this, Mr. Bush questioned how Ronnie Anne knew about what the two gentlemen said before?

"As weird as this may sound, the answer is easy" she said with a slight chuckle, "my family's watching the trial on TV, right now." To say that this revelation shocked the Loud Family would be a gross understatement. Not one of them considered that the trial would be televised or that the Santiago Family even knew about it.

"Truth is, Lame-o; you and your family are quite the talk of the town" Ronnie Anne stated, "wait...forget town, you're the talk of the country!" She then held up her phone and showed numerous news sites online, each one of them showing that the Loud Family's story was trending very quickly. "But to tell you the truth; at first, my family didn't quite believe what they've been hearing" Ronnie Anne said bluntly, "especially my mom and Bobby."

Upon mentioning Bobby, Mr. Bush began to ask her if _he_ ever tried to push her and Lincoln together the way Lori did. "No, not really" Ronnie Anne replied, "in fact; while my relatives tend to say we're a couple in a playfully teasing way, Bobby's been cool about us just...you know, hanging out." From this description, some people started to believe Bobby was the more stable one in the relationship.

Just as Mr. Bush was about to ask another question, the door to her room suddenly opened. Soon after, a young Half-Asian girl bounced into the room; holding a skating helmet under her one arm. She had a light-skinned complexion, long brunette hair and freckles on her cheeks; almost like the ones Lincoln and some of his sisters had. She wore a blue long-sleeved shirt revealing her shoulders, black shorts, a pink headband, white earrings, red socks, and black boots.

"Grab your board, Ronnie Anne" she said excitedly, "they just added a new ramp at the park, one that I know you would _love_ to shred on!" The young lady in question giggled at her intruder and politely urged her to simmer down. "I'd be happy to join you, Sid...later" she said firmly, "right now, I'm in the middle of something important."

Soon after that, Judge Snapper butted in and politely informed the girl (known as Sid) that she inadvertently disturbed an important trial. "Trial...OH! You mean the one that's on TV right now" Sid exclaimed, "if that's the case...then, where's Lincoln?" As if on cue, the boy in question gave a soft whistle; thus catching her attention and waved at her timidly.

"Uh...You must be Sid Chang, Ronnie Anne's new BFF" he stated, "she's told me a lot about you." Sid smiled at the boy and waved back at him. "The feeling's mutual, Lincoln" she said with glee, "I really wish we were meeting in person, instead of through a webcam." With all the joy Lincoln could muster in his current state, he assured Sid that that time would come.

"I'm so sorry for disturbing you, guys" the girl murmured sadly, "I should've knocked on the door before entering...but I just thought she was chatting online with a friend." Mr. Bush smiled tenderly at the girl and assured her there was no harm done. "Truth is, I'm actually glad you're here" he stated, "if you can, has Ronnie Anne ever told you about her history with Lincoln before?"

With a playful giggle; Sid replied in saying that she might've heard some stories, on occasion. "There was one time the two of them were at the tower and Lincoln got so into the beautiful sky view, a pigeon accidentally pooped on his face" she murmured, "she showed me the picture herself." While there was no real malice behind this reveal, Lincoln still felt a little flustered by it.

"What, how did you know about that" he grumbled, "did you post it online?" Ronnie Anne gasped emphatically, acting offended that Lincoln would even suggest such a thing. "That may be something someone like Lynn, Lola or Leni (though inadvertently) would do" she retorted, "but I would never consider such a thing...anymore."

The two stared intently at one another, as if preparing to engage in some form of heated debate...or something much worse. But instead, their angry scowls shifted into goofy grins and the two preteens suddenly burst out into laughter. Confused, Judge Snapper asked for the meaning behind this behavior.

"Sorry, Your Honor; we were just messin' with each other" Ronnie Anne assured while wiping a tear away, "it's what we do these days, whenever we see one another." From here, she mentioned how they became friends; after trying to "save Bobby and Lori's relationship" together at Jean Juan's, long ago. "But tell us about before that time" Mr. Bush urged, "what brought you to bully Lincoln so frequently with wedgies, pulling his pants down, tying his laces together and...from what we've heard, stuffing his locker full of garbage?"

As Ronnie Anne prepared to answer, she hesitated; realizing that if whatever she would say next would be heard by everyone...including her family, who was possibly watching the trial at this very moment. Then, she felt Sid's hand grip her shoulder tenderly and Ronnie Anne turned to find her smiling. "You may as well tell them, Ronnie Anne" she murmured, "just like with the stuff Linc's family did; one way or another, people were bound to learn the truth about you and Lincoln."

(Outside of Ronnie Anne's door)

Unbeknownst to them, however; Hector, Ronnie Anne's grandfather (and Great Lakes City's most notorious gossip hound) spotted the door closing and immediately knew something was up. With his gossip senses a-tingling, he made his way over to the door and pressed his ear up against the wood. Within moments, the rest of the family noticed this behavior and asked if anything was wrong. "SHH! Everyone, _Silencio_" he cried out silently, "I'm trying to hear what's going on inside."

At first, everyone was ready to scold him for spying on Ronnie Anne. But then; CJ, one of Ronnie Anne's cousins pointed at the TV and giggled. "Look, Ronnie Anne's on the TV" he exclaimed gleefully, "and so is Lincoln, HORRAY!"

Every eye fell upon the TV screen and soon, they did indeed spot Ronnie Anne's face; albeit through another TV screen. At first, she appeared silent; as if unsure of what to say. _"Don't worry, Ronnie Anne"_ Lincoln assured her kindly, _"whatever you have to say, I won't think less of you."_

Touched by his words of encouragement, Ronnie Anne found the strength she needed to truly speak her mind...and also her heart. _"To start with; I guess this all started after my dad went away"_ she explained, _"that is to say, he had to go away due to his job."_ From here; she revealed that her father, Arturo Santiago, got a job as a physician when she was about Lana and Lola's age.

_"He works with a team called Physicians on Missions"_ she explained,_ "they travel all over the world, providing help to people in need."_ While she still felt proud of what her father was doing, Ronnie Anne also admitted how sad it felt having him so far away. _"Before he left, my father asked me and my brother to help take care of the family"_ she stated, _"that meant we had to be strong, brave and above all, tough in the face of danger."_

The people in the courtroom nodded in understanding, realizing that such circumstances did require a strong resolve._ "Unfortunately...I may have gone a tad too deep into the 'being tough' part" _Ronnie Anne confessed, _"but in order to explain _that_; I need to talk about my older brother, Bobby."_ From here, she talked about how close the two of them were and how much she once idolized him; as a little kid.

_"My bro is a sweet guy, one of the most loving people I know"_ Ronnie Anne said with pride,_ "but at the same time, he's also...a touch naïve."_ This revelation caused the family to tense up slightly, wondering if Bobby heard this description...and how he would respond. But as Hector made a quick beeline down to the Mercado, he looked in to find that the boy had accidentally locked himself into the dairy case freezer...again.

As Bobby tapped on the glass, trying to get his grandfather's attention; Hector couldn't help but chuckle. _"Just like Ronnie Anne said, Bobby's lovable...but a little naïve"_ he thought to himself,_ "how many times must this happen before he realizes he must only close the dairy case _after_ he finds what he needs inside."_ Without any further delay, Hector approached the dairy case door and helped Bobby out.

"Thanks _A-A-Abuelo_" he stuttered in a shivering voice, "I...c-c-can't believe that happened again; I've g-g-gotta make sure to keep the door propped open, before I come in." Though on paper, it seemed like a good idea; Hector reminded his grandson that it would only cause the food to defrost too soon. "Perhaps, Ronnie Anne should help hold the door for you instead; whenever you go in" he suggested, "OH...speaking of which, she's on the TV right now!"

Feeling both concerned and intrigued, Bobby rushed up the steps towards the family apartment; all while rubbing his arms to warm up. Within moments, Bobby burst through the door and rushed into the living room; asking everyone how much he missed. "Not too much, _mijito_" Mrs. Santiago assured, "your sister wants your help to explain to the court about some things."

While unsure about what he could do to help, Bobby happily agreed with the request and hurried off to Ronnie Anne's door. Upon his arrival, he saw the court room in full view on his sister's laptop. _"Good afternoon, Mr. Santiago"_ a woman's voice said off-screen_ "you may not be able to see me but my name is Agatha Snapper and I'm the judge overseeing today's trial."_

Despite not being able to see her on screen, Bobby still respectfully greeted both the judge and the rest of the court. "I don't know what you guys need me for, to be honest" he said with a hint of uncertainty in his voice, "but I promise to answer your questions in the best way I can." The court thanked Bobby for his cooperation and Mr. Bush returned to his earlier discussion with Ronnie Anne.

"Young lady, you said your father tasked both you and your brother to be strong; while he is away" he surmised, "but isn't that responsibility meant for the elder sibling?" Ronnie Anne nodded in agreement and said that in many times of their lives, that _was_ usually the case. "But my brother can be a tad naïve, just as I said earlier" she stated, "for example...I can feel a slight chill radiating off of him, which means he accidentally locked himself in the dairy case...again."

Bobby chuckled sheepishly, while his teeth chattered; thus proving Ronnie Anne's point for the court. "Because of this, I usually had to take charge for the family; especially whenever my mom was at work" she stated, "plus...I thought acting more responsible would help make me cool in Bobby's eyes." This display of humility really took the court by surprise, especially the Loud Sisters and the Gal Pals.

This vulnerable girl they saw before them was a sharp contrast from the rough, tough and often tomboyish girl they've often known her to be. "Aww! Nini, you don't have to do anything to prove you're cool in my eyes" Bobby said sweetly, "I always felt you were cool." Hearing her brother compliment her thusly and use his famous nickname for her caused Ronnie Anne to blush deeply.

But while the moment was sweet, the court didn't wish to get too off-topic and they quickly resumed the cross-examination. "If my assumption is correct; after several years of being the 'woman of your household,' you slowly became the strong and firm woman your father asked you to be" he stated, "is this not so?" Without missing a beat, Ronnie Anne nodded slightly and said that every word Mr. Bush spoke was the truth.

"Then, one day; something happened that would almost cause that part of me to fall apart" she murmured, "and that something...was the first day I met Lincoln." By this point in her story; the red on Ronnie Anne's face shined so bright, her head looked like an apple. As expected, the Loud Sisters started silently gushing; when they saw this.

"If what you're saying is true, young lady; that must mean Lori's earlier testimony was correct" murmured Mr. Bush, "but we must hear it from _you_ to be truly certain...do you or do you not have feelings for my client?" The moment he asked this, an eerie silence fell over the room; one so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. During this silence, Ronnie Anne struggled between the voices in her head and those in her heart.

On one side; the voices were telling her to keep quiet and that if everyone found out, they would think she's weak. But on the other side, the voices in her heart told her that she needed to swallow her pride and show Lincoln that there were people out there who truly cared about him. For what felt like ages, she gripped at her head; trying to block out the voices messing with her.

Then, she let out a sudden yet small gasp; as a pair of hands rested upon her shoulders. Ronnie Anne looked behind her, expecting to see Sid or Bobby doing it. But instead; it was her mother holding her by the shoulder, all while smiling warmly.

Soon after, Ronnie Anne could hear soft words of encouragement from the rest of her family outside. Then, Sid came in and Ronnie Anne could clearly see a distressed look on her friend's face. "Sorry, Ronnie Anne" she murmured, "you looked like you were getting a migraine and...I went to your mom to ask for help...please, don't be mad."

Ronnie Anne silently gazed at her mother and brother; then, she looked back at Sid...and smiled softly. "Nah, it's okay" she murmured, "having them and even you hear makes what I'm about to say even easier." In spite of the possible aftermath her next set of words would bring, Ronnie Anne took a deep breath and looked over at Lincoln.

"Looks like you were right all along, Lori" she groaned dejectedly with a smile, "the truth is...I _do_ like your brother...a lot." No sooner had she said this, a loud cacophony of joyful noises could be heard both in the courtroom and in the living room of her apartment. But it all sounded so loud, it was a miracle she could still hear anything at all.

Through all the screams and squeals, there could also be the exclamations of "I KNEW IT" being shouted from both sides. Eventually, Judge Snapper managed to calm everyone down enough for Ronnie Anne to finish her testimony. "Like I said, I really do like Lincoln; just like Lori and his bozo sisters said" she murmured shyly, "I mean...there's just this dorky charm of his that just makes me feel...you know, gooey inside."

This confession created a wide variety of reactions from those inside and outside the courtroom (i.e. those watching on television, like Ronnie Anne's relatives.) Lori and her sisters were practically shrieking with joy, Bobby was doing victory dances in the hallway outside Ronnie Anne's room, her Aunt Frieda was wailing tears of joy and her grandmother was already thinking up "future wedding plans." The whole time this was going on, Lincoln and Ronnie Anne tried to calm everyone down; all while hiding the blush on their faces.

As expected, no one listened to the two of them...but they certainly listened to Judge Snapper's gavel and loud cries for order. "Let's not get too excited about this little confession, people" she said matter-of-factly, "something tells me that Ronnie Anne has more to say about this." The young preteen thanked the judge for her help and sent a firm glare across the room towards Lori.

"Yes...now you know the truth" she said sternly, "I like Lincoln but it doesn't matter, we're _friends_ and that's how I prefer things between us." Despite the glare in the young tomboy's eyes, Lori remained undeterred. "You're still literally a little kid, Ronnie Anne" she said smugly, "when you and my brother finally mature, you'll realize you're meant for each other."

Understandably enough, Ronnie Anne was rather cheezed off by Lori's words and smug tone. But just as she was ready to give the teen an earful, her mother and Bobby quickly intervened; claiming they had much to say as well. "Young lady; in the past, I've heard Bobby describe you as a sweet and loving girl" Maria stated, "but after this, I now see a side of you that I never knew existed...a pushy and rather smug part."

After this, Bobby approached the screen and everyone could see tears welling up in his eyes. "What...What happened to you, Lori" he murmured sadly, "the way you're acting right now, the way you're trying to make your brother the bad guy...that's not my babe." For the second time in her life, Lori felt her heart shatter from Bobby's words and she desperately tried to make things right.

"But...B-But Boo-Boo Bear, I'm still your Lori" she said pleadingly, "it's just my stupid family...if Leni didn't screw up my golf game and if Lincoln just behaved himself, I wouldn't even be here!" Suddenly, a loud booing rang out through the courtroom; accompanied by one or two small jeers sent Lori's way. After getting the crowd to calm down again, Judge Snapper couldn't help but shake her head in disapproval at Lori.

"Miss Loud; where your family is concerned, all I keep hearing from you is negativity" she muttered bitterly, "can't you think of anything nice to say about your sisters...or even your brother?" With that in mind, the judge offered up the same question to Lincoln; hoping that he would offer_ some_ positive energy in this trial. "Of course I can say something positive, Your Honor" he declared, "I have all kinds of positive things to say about my family.

The moment he said this, a look of worry formed on both Clyde and Lori's faces. Due to their brother's current emotional state, they feared his "positive words' about his sisters would actually be something like those he used for Lori long ago. It happened after she broke a beloved gaming device he had and needless to say, he was not very pleased; especially since she sounded incredibly nonchalant about it all.

The message itself contained words that were...to put it bluntly, rather explicit and Lincoln had it prewritten ages ago; waiting for the right moment to use it. The moment Lori broke his device and acted uncaringly about it, that was just the push he needed to call up her phone and shout it for all to hear.

(The following comes from the Loud House Wikia page, it is an uncensored version of Lincoln's infamous message to Lori in the episode "Get the Message." Those of you who are easily bothered by swear words, you are welcome to skip this part of the chapter. Otherwise, you may read on.)

As Clyde fearfully closed his eyes, he could hear the screams of Lincoln's ranting echo loudly in his head. _"Hey, Lori...It's your dear brother, Lincoln. There's something I've been meaning to tell you. You are... ARE THE WORST MOTHERF**KING SISTER EVER! YOU BROKE MY F**KING GAME GOGGLES, BLAMING ME FOR STEPPING INTO YOUR DAMN ROOM AND THAT IS WHY YOU ARE THE WORST SISTER EVER! BUY ME A NEW GAME GOGGLES OR I WILL KICK YOUR F**KING A**!"_

Poor Clyde, even after so much time had passed; he could still feel his heart racing and his ears burning from the rant. What was worse; after the message had been sent, Lori returned and offered Lincoln a replacement set of Gaming Goggles. However; not only did she apologized to him in the most deadpan tone, she was also more focused on a text message than Lincoln.

At the end of the day; Lori _did_ hear the message, despite Lincoln and Clyde's best efforts to either delete it or keep her from hearing it. After it played, Lori was not happy and she made everyone in the house know it. Now, after so much of her family's dirty laundry had been aired out; a small part of her couldn't help but wonder...what if Lincoln was right about her all along?

All anyone could do now was wait and see what Lincoln had to say next. "Go ahead, Mr. Loud" urged the judge, "don't hold anything back, let it all out." After that, Lincoln took a long look at each of his sisters while slowly taking in relaxing breaths.

Finally, he was composed enough to speak and he decided to start things off with Lori; her being the oldest and such. "Lori...I don't know what I've ever done to make you hate me" he murmured, "I know I screwed up...but you did too." Lori felt irritated by Lincoln's choice of words and she was prepared to charge him.

But then, the boy raised his hands defensively; stopping her in her tracks. "By letting your pride get the better of you and bringing up the...incredibly stupid Sister Fight Protocol again, you've become a monster" he murmured while on the verge of tears; "where's my big sister...the one who used to hold me close when I was a baby, the one who helped scare any monsters out of my closet when I was six, the one who tied a kid by his pants on the jungle gym after he made me trip and chip my tooth...where's _that_ Lori?" The crowd murmured soft sounds of affection, after hearing Lincoln's words; while Lori simply stared mildly stone-faced at him.

Lincoln waited patiently for an answer from his eldest sister...but after a while, nothing came. Next, he turned towards Leni and brought up all the good times _they_ had together. "Leni, you were always the sweetest one of us" Lincoln mumbled lovingly, "you always tried to cheer me up, whenever I was upset and I missed modeling your clothes while I was away.

Hearing this caused the young blonde to almost break down in tears, indicating that she also missed her quality time with Lincoln. "Luna, you were like...my best friend" he murmured, causing Clyde to gasp in surprise; "that is...you're like my best friend within the family." After this clarification, Clyde heaved a sigh of relief and gestured for Lincoln to continue.

"Your music always brightened my day, no matter what instrument you played" murmured Lincoln, "you're talented, dedicated and your cockney accent always brings a smile to my face." A slight blush crept onto Luna's freckled cheeks, showing just how much her brother's words meant to her. The next one, namely Luan, would be a bit difficult to speak fondly of; at this point.

"Luan...I admit, your pranking and poorly timed puns often leave me groaning with annoyance" Lincoln murmured, "but...out of all of us, you always try your best to brighten our day." For the first time all day, Luan found herself flashing a genuine smile; albeit a slight one. "While your pranks often leave me hurting rather than laughing" Lincoln grumbled, "if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be so confident about performing in front of others."

To prove his point, he reminded the remaining Gal Pals about the song he sang at Jordan's party and the dance off they had at Gus' not to long ago. "If it were the old me, I wouldn't dream of dancing in front of all those people like I did" Lincoln stated, "but after being Luan's assistant, I love entertaining people." The young comedienne blushed softly in humble embarrassment, feeling like she couldn't take all the credit.

"Everybody has an entertainer inside of them, Lincoln; especially you" muttered Luan, "I just...helped give you the spark you needed." Again, the crowd found themselves cooing softly at the scene before them; which gave Rita and Lynn Sr. some hope that things were looking better for them. Next, Lincoln turned his attention towards Lucy; whom he described as the "Black Bird of Quirkiness."

"Most people look at Goths like you or Haiku and immediately think that you guys are vicious, cruel, hateful and prefer death over life...but not you guys" he stated, "sure, you have your grim interests but your passion for writing is what helped inspire my own creativity." Confused, Lucy asked how her abilities helped Lincoln with _his_. "Well, you remind me that no matter how many times people think your ideas are weird; you should keep on going" he said proudly, "that's why I went on to creating my own kind of Ace Savvy stories."

In spite of the long bangs covering her face, everyone could clearly see joyful tears suddenly tricking down Lucy's blushing cheeks. "Lana, I love how you enjoy dabbling into both guy _and_ girl things" Lincoln said with great praise, "I couldn't even imagine Lynn getting into a dress like you did, even if Dairyland tickets were up for grabs." Like Lucy, Lana found herself blushing slightly from Lincoln's kind words.

Then, she stood up from her seat and proclaimed "that's right, you heard my bro..._this_ is who I am, take it or leave it!" The crowd couldn't help but chuckle at this, mentally praising the young lady for telling it like it is. Next, Lincoln turned to Lola and...he found himself hesitating a little; not because he didn't have nice things to say.

Rather, he hesitated because he wondered how Lola might respond. In times past, if judges didn't give her a near glowing review on her pageant performances; Lola would go ballistic and there was a time where Lincoln experienced this for himself. Yet in spite of his nervousness, Lincoln took in a breath and spoke from his heart.

"Lola, of all the gals your age that I've met, you're one of the most driven and talented" he said with a smile, "sure, you might get...a tad obsessive with beauty and winning pageants but it's only because you want to set yourself apart; being a twin and all." Despite Lincoln choosing to describe her desire for beauty in a...mildly negative way, she still appreciated his kind words. "I also want to say that...it's thanks to being your coach that I now feel strongly in touch with my feminine side" he proclaimed, "not in the way some of you might be thinking, that is."

From here; Lincoln described how coaching Lola helped him understand style, the importance of focus and the joys of spa treatments. "Speaking of which; after this is over, I'm in need of a spa day" Lincoln sighed, "a soak in the hot tub or a steam room session will surely help calm my nerves." There was a light chuckle from everyone and Judge Snapper urged him to conclude his list of compliments.

"Though she's only just a baby, Lily is one of the sweetest ones I know" Lincoln gushed adorably, "her giggling always makes _me_ giggle, no matter what mood I'm in." Upon bringing up Lily, he suddenly wondered if she was still okay in the back room. Then, all of a sudden; a scream rang out...but it wasn't that of a baby.

Instead, it was the sounds of older people screaming; as if they were stuck. Then; Lincoln realized that Carol, Becky, Dana, Kat and Whitney were all still in with Lily. "With your permission, Your Honor; might I go back and check on everybody" he asked respectfully, "I want to see if anything's going wrong."

Without so much as a second thought, Judge Snapper happily welcomed Lincoln to momentarily leave his seat and check on his sister. After thanking the judge for her kindness, the boy speed-walked over to the back room and opened the door. There, he found his little sister; not only wide awake but also playfully tugging at his friends' hair.

When Carol looked over and spotted Lincoln in the doorway; she smiled brightly, despite the pain of having her hair pulled. "Oh, Linky; thank goodness you're here" she sighed with relief, "Lily just woke up two minutes ago and she thinks_ we're_ her dolls!" Upon hearing this; Lincoln couldn't help but giggle and offer the quip of "but you are dolls, the best kind."

For many within the courtroom, this little statement caused them to laugh a little. Leni, on the other hand, felt a little confused by her brother's choice of words. Upon noticing her confusion, Rita explained that Lincoln was commenting on how adorable his friends are in the form of a joke. "Oh, now I get it" Leni exclaimed, "but I thought only Luan made jokes.

While the Louds did their best _not_ to speak ill about the young blonde's absentmindedness, Lincoln joined his friends in trying to pry Lily loose from each of them. Despite being only a baby; she managed to keep a good grip on Carol's shirt collar, Kat's nose, Whitney's poofy hair and at one point, Dana's tiny ponytail. "Anybody got a rattle or something" Lincoln called out, "I figure that if I can distract her, Lily will let go of my friends."

Regretfully, no one had a rattle or any kind of baby toy on hand. But then, someone suggested the idea of making silly faces at Lily and Lincoln happily welcomed it. From there; everyone watched, as Lincoln proceeded to make goofy faces at Lily.

When she finally took notice of him, the baby started to giggle and released her grip on Carol's shirt. Afterwards she started to clap and Lincoln scooped her up into his arms; kissing her cheek. "Okay now, lil' Sis; Big Brother's gotta go for a bit" he murmured adorably, "but your gonna play some more with the nice officers until we're done, would ya like that?"

Immediately, Lily responded by happily clapping her hands and giggling. After getting the approval of one of the female officers, Lincoln carefully placed his smallest sister into her arms and helped escort his friends out of the room. "Thanks again for helping me keep Lily calm, gals" Lincoln said gratefully, "sorry about all the hair-pulling and stuff.

The girls laughed softly and assured him that there was no harm done. "She's a baby and babies love to grab stuff, always do" Dana stated, "at least she didn't grab any...(ahem) specific areas." Thinking quickly, Carol lightly swatted her friend in the back of the head; warning her not to put any ideas in the heads of any young people among them.

After that; everyone took their seats and the trial resumed, once again. "Your words have touched us a great deal, Mr. Loud" Judge Snapper said kindly, "they truly show how much you still love your sisters, in spite of everything that's happened." As everyone started murmuring in agreement, Lynn growled in her chair and proclaimed shenanigans.

"He didn't talk about_ all _of us, Judge" she murmured bitterly, "what about me and Lisa, don't _we_ matter to him?" While she didn't quite approve of her tone, Judge Snapper also realized that they almost overlooked those particular sisters. "I know the one has caused quite a bit of a ruckus here today, Mr. Loud" she sighed deeply, "but surely, you have something to say about your sister, Lynn."

For almost three minutes, Lincoln sat in his seat in total silence; which led several people to think he was refusing to answer. But then; Lincoln gazed at where the young jock sat, gave a long sigh and murmured two simple words..."I'm sorry." With these two words, Lynn Jr. blinked slightly in confusion and demanded to know what he was apologizing for.

"I'm sorry that I got us all in this mess, I'm sorry I got you and the rest of the family in trouble, I'm sorry that you're mad at me" he murmured, "but most of all...I'm sorry that I never got to know the real you...the _sweeter_ version of you." Upon hearing these words, Lynn was having a sort of...inner struggle moment; much like how Ronnie Anne felt. One side wanted to remain the tough, intimidating and "strong" girl she always was.

But then, the other part of her wanted to break down right where she sat and cry her eyes out. In the end, Lynn reached a sort of "middle ground;" where she was not quite too emotional and yet, not quite so brutish either. "Well...that's just too bad, Stinkin'" she grumbled, "'cause that girl is gone...I've changed and so have the rest of our sisters!" From there, she proclaimed that no matter how much Lincoln wanted it; not one of his sisters could ever behave like he remembered.

"We've changed and that's all there is to it" she mumbled, "that's the way life is and if you don't like it, then...THEN TOUGH TOENAILS!" Despite her efforts to keep up her tough exterior; Lynn could see, just from everyone's expressions alone, that she wasn't fooling anyone. Finally; she gave out a loud "harrumph," folded her arms dejectedly and turned herself away from everyone's view.

In the end, Lincoln smiled slightly with pride; feeling happy that he managed to get through to her. Now, only Lisa remained and he wasn't quite sure about how to approach her (metaphorically speaking.) Lincoln wasn't really..."afraid of her," like he was of Lori or Lynn.

But at the same time, he never quite recalled a time where they were actually close. So, that is what he told the court and it hurt him to do so. "I mean...she helps tutor me, she gives me advice (once in a blue moon) and she's one of the smartest people I know" he stated, "but...she's done some things that I can't quite forgive her for."

Along with singling him out to his group of friends; Lincoln spoke of the many times she either experimented on him, belittled him for his intelligence level, failed to keep secrets for him and there was also the matter of putting a microchip...somewhere in or on his person. "It's not just me she does it to either, it's all of us" Lincoln exclaimed, "she acts like she's superior to everyone in our family, even my mom and dad." Rather than go into a rage like some of her sisters did, young Lisa simply rose from her seat and sighed.

"I cannot help being what I am, Your Honor" she muttered, "being the only person in my family with an IQ of 237, it is hard to compromise one's self in a family of...shall we say, above average homosapiens." It was difficult to tell who seemed the most offended within the courtroom; the judge, the Loud Parents, Pop-Pop or Lisa's siblings. "Young lady, _true_ genius isn't measured in numbers" Judge Snapper muttered, "it's measured by one's skills and how they choose to use them...and it seems you have used yours poorly."

Lisa remained unfazed by the judge's words, staying firm in her belief that everything she did was simply her exercising her scientific abilities. "So, I may have blasted my brother with an experimental X-Ray scanner, built a robot that destroyed several dozen science fair projects or experimented on our family pets on...a few occasions" she murmured, "but how else am I supposed to exercise my genius?!" The lawyers Baldur, Burns and Bush each shook their heads in disappointment at Lisa and said she needed to focus more on exercising restraint or empathy and less on her experiments.

"It's impossible to get her to get her to relax, let alone practice restraint" Lincoln muttered, "she can't even enjoy a simple snow day without chasing us around the house with a snowball shooting bazooka." As expected, everyone gasped at this reveal and asked why she did such a thing. "It was all to get my family and I to hate snow days" Lincoln replied, "she always tells us 'missing school is terrible for a developing mind...'or something silly like that."

Now, the time had come for _Lisa_ to feel offended. In retaliation, she stressed how important school was for everybody and that every time a snow day would happen, it would leave humans to become "even more ignorant than they already are." "Miss, I understand how much you pride yourself on your scientific prowess and intellect" murmured Ms. Baldur, "but at the same time, you are still a child and lack an overall sense of emotional maturity to become a respected member of the scientific community." While there _was_ some truth behind the woman's words, Lisa still refused to relent.

"If it wasn't for my genius, the family would've been lost long ago" she exclaimed, "and as for your 'emotional maturity' nonsense, my brain doesn't have the space to hold such trivialities." Upon hearing this; Maria Santiago quickly interjected and informed everyone (including Lisa,) that despite any sort of IQ levels so-called "geniuses" may have, their brains were the exact same size as everyone else in the room (specifically 1,100 Cubic Centimeters.) "Furthermore, while some people may be skilled in certain subjects; there will always be others they might struggle with" she stated, "for example; my brother, Carlos may be a bookworm...but he is not very skilled at working in the Mercado."

At that moment, there was a soft yet bothered outcry of "I HEARD THAT" from somewhere outside Ronnie Anne's room; meaning that Carlos must've heard what Maria said...but she didn't care. "My point is, you may think science and numbers matter most in this world" she said firmly, "but the truth is...relationships matter more than anything and if you're not careful, you're going to lose the ones you have left completely." After that, Rosa called out loudly to the family and told them supper was almost ready.

With that statement, everyone suddenly realized just how long they've been here and felt the time had come to end things...for now. "This court is hereby adjourned until tomorrow morning" Judge Snapper decreed, "when that time comes, we will hear closing statements and the jury shall discuss the verdict." Everyone either murmured or nodded in agreement and soon, the bailiff began escorting everyone out of the room.

Before he left, Lincoln walked into the back room to retrieve Lily; who almost felt too sad to leave the officers. Upon seeing this, an idea formed in Jordan's mind. "Permission to approach the bench, Your Honor" she said suddenly, "because matters with Lincoln's family have...yet to be resolved, I propose that Lily remain in the care of these officers; until tomorrow.

Admittedly, Judge Snapper felt the idea was a smart one; considering the present circumstances. But she still felt like it couldn't be done without Mrs. Loud's consent. "What say you and your husband, Ma'am" questioned the judge, "do you approve of the officers babysitting your little one?"

Though it pained her to be apart from another of her children, Mrs. Loud couldn't help but think it was for the best. So, she agreed to let one of the officers' care for her overnight; on condition that they wait until she brought over the necessary baby supplies. "My son will also need a place to stay as well" Rita stated, "that is, if one of his friends will help watch over him again."

Just before any of the Gal Pals could answer, Clyde intervened and said he didn't want to be apart from his bestie for much longer. "Let him stay with me and my dads; please, Your Honor" he begged, "he's done so many times before and my dads love having him around." Without second thought, Judge Snapper agreed to the idea and reminded the boys to set their timers for tomorrow at 9:00 AM.

The boys did just that and thanked the judge for her kindness. Then, they headed over to Mr. and Mr. McBride; who appeared anxious to get in a good night's rest; after today's events. Before leaving, he thanked everyone (including Bobby, Ronnie Anne and their family) for taking time out of their day to help him. "Think nothing of it, Lil Dude" Bobby said kindly, "hope to see you in more pleasant scenery, after all this is done."

After that, Sid said her goodbyes as well; while also telling Lincoln how she couldn't wait to meet him in person. "I can't wait to introduce you to some of my other pals" she said gleefully, "especially Muffin, she's an orangutan who really loves to finger paint." Feeling confused by her words, Lincoln asked Ronnie Anne why one of Sid's friends is an animal?"

"Mrs. Chang, Sid's mom; she works as a zoologist" the young Latina replied, "when she's not helping rescue animals, she cares for them at the zoo." Lincoln was quite amazed by what Sid's family was capable of and said he couldn't wait to meet her family, one day. After that, everyone said their goodbyes and left the courtroom; anxious for a good night's sleep.

At the same time, however; they couldn't help but wonder what tomorrow's possible final judgment might be for Lincoln and/or his family. In a way; whoever won or lost the trial, great changes might lie on the horizon for all involved.

(First AN: We're getting down to the wire now, folks; once everyone says their final pieces in the next chapter, the final verdict will be delivered. Who will "win" in the end, who will "lose;" find out next time on Gal Pals)

(Second AN: For those wondering about the title, Confessions and Convictions; the confessions part refers to both Ronnie Anne's own confession of love for Lincoln and the truth about how she used to be before her "bullying days." The "Confessions" part of the title also refers to Lincoln's confessions to what he loves about his sisters.

As for the Convictions part, the term "conviction" is something meant to describe a "firmly held belief or opinion" and characters like Lori and Lynn Jr. embody this in spades.)

(Third AN: The "Worst Sister Ever" rant Clyde's memory thought of is a loosely uncensored version of the original one from the episode Get the Message. Due to some of the terms used in the rant, I'm unsure if I should move the rating up a bit.)


	29. Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Trial Pt Five

The Trial – Part Five: New Evidence/Nearing the Final Stretch

As night fell, everyone returned to either their homes or temporary lodgings (i.e. hotels, apartment buildings, motels etc.) for a well-earned rest. After everything that had been said, heard and shown in the courtroom mere hours ago; everyone hoped some sleep will relax them. Among these souls who needed relaxation were the remaining Loud Siblings, who were given permission to return to their house for the night.

Slowly but surely, eight of the ten young ladies all began to feel something they hadn't felt for many days; sweet relief. After venting in the courtroom, seeing some of the evidence (both in terms of items and the emotional stress their brother was enduring) and hearing their brother's kind words before the day ended; they appeared much calmer than they were weeks ago. Unfortunately, there were two among them who had yet to feel at peace; Lori and Lynn.

Mind you, the both of them weren't quite as angry as they were when this all began. Instead, the two girls found themselves horribly conflicted; torn between choosing to either keep holding on to the anger they had or if they should just let it all go and let bygones be bygones. Because of this, both of them were unable to fall asleep; something that the rest of their family found rather annoying.

"Lynn, will you _please_ go to sleep" Lucy groaned, "my spirit may be nocturnal but I still possess the human need to rest during the night." Upon hearing this, Lynn grumbled softly and she plonked herself hard atop her bed; crossing her arms bitterly. In that moment, Lucy's previous irritation towards her roommate faded...just a little and gave way to concern.

"What's got you so wound up, Lynn" she murmured quizzically, "are you still upset over the trial." With a disgruntled huff, the young jock said that wasn't what was making her so angry...at least, not anymore. "I just...I was thinking about what Lincoln said in there" Lynn muttered, "I mean...be honest, am I _really_ that rough on him...or any of you guys?"

Upon being asked this, Lucy found herself hesitating a little; as if wary about how she should answer. "C'mon, Lucy; be straight with me" Lynn insisted, "it's not like anything worse can happen, after what we've been through; if you tell me." With this statement, the young Goth let out a soft sigh and spoke her most honest feelings about Lynn.

"I admit it; you're a great athlete, skilled at any kind of physical activity known to humans and you're one of the toughest girls I know" Lucy murmured, "but at the same time, you tend to go a little overboard with your behavior." It was here that Lucy brought up all the times she rubbed her victories into the family's collective faces, acted like a poor sport and most annoying of all, the times Lynn used her bust of Edwin as a football. "When Lincoln brought up your old, sweeter self; I couldn't help but agree with him" she murmured, "I miss that part of you too."

At first, Lynn felt the urge to argue with her sister about bringing that up. But then, she realized she was too tired to fight anymore and thus; she chose to relent. "Look, I get it...I can be rough around the edges, sometimes" she murmured, "but even if I _wanted_ to bring that part of me back, I can't!"

Still not convinced by her sister/roommates words, Lucy questioned Lynn why she couldn't be like her real self again. "Since my first year of Middle School; the thing I've come to realize, Sis...is that in life, nice guys/girls finish last" the young jock grumbled, "it's a tough world out there and you have to _be_ tough, in order to survive." While she couldn't deny the small ring of truth in her sister's words, Lucy took a moment to remind Lynn that there were all kinds of ways to be "tough."

"It's not just about being abrasive, rough, brutish and mean" she murmured, "it's about holding your ground and remaining faithful to who you are, no matter what the world thinks." Lucy then said she got this idea from what Lincoln said about her hours ago, during the trial. "He was right, you know" she said with a faint smile, "people _did_ used to think my work was odd, way back when...but I never let that stop me from doing what I love."

While still trying to be mildly respectful, Lynn couldn't help but chuckle a little at her sister's words. "That's easy for you to say, Sis...you _like_ being weird" she muttered bitterly, "if I went around acting nice and sweet on the field, people would think I'm weak." From here; Lynn claimed that she could never be a "star athlete," if people saw she had a soft side.

"First of all, Lynn; everyone already knows you're 'weak'" Lucy said in retort, "by putting up this tough girl act; you come across as more of a cowardly brute than a strong, independent woman." Lynn growled in frustration, wanting nothing more than pound her sister into submission and to prove her sister wrong. But because she was so tired, she didn't have the strength to even make a fist.

At the same time; Lynn realized that if she _did_ go along with attacking Lucy, it would only prove her point about her. So, in the end; she sat down on her bed and slouched bitterly. "Second of all, Lynn; there's nothing wrong with having a softer side" Lucy said softly, "for example...I don't always enjoy stuff that's grim and creepy."

Feeling mildly curious, Lynn asked for further info on her sister's confession. "Well...do you remember the time where the toilet broke down because a copy of Princess Pony was found stuffed inside of it" she asked, "the truth is...Lincoln wasn't the one responsible for it, he just took the heat to save the dignity of the _real_ culprit." After this; Lynn was able to immediately put the pieces together in her head and when she did, her jaw almost dropped through the floor.

"Hold up...it wasn't Stink...I mean, Lincoln's book; it was _yours_" she exclaimed, "why did you let him take the heat and...follow up question, why did you stuff it in the toilet anyway?" Upon hearing this, Lucy leapt off the bed and said she didn't mean for the last part to happen. "I...I was reading it in private in the bathroom, during the night" she muttered shyly, "I was so worried I'd get caught, I hid the book inside the toilet."

After that, Lynn felt even more confused and asked how the toilet ended up getting clogged in the end. "The moment I left the bathroom, Lincoln came inside looking half-asleep" Lucy replied, "he didn't realize he was flushing my book until it was too late." After that, the door to their bedroom suddenly burst open and in the doorway; Lynn and Lucy could see their parents softly glaring at them.

"First of all, girls; isn't it a tad late to be up chatting to each other" murmured Lynn Sr., "and second of all; why didn't _you_ confess to what happened instead of letting your brother take the blame, Lucy?" In response, the young Goth made a simple sweeping gesture with her hand towards her other sisters. "I heard Lola say that she'd make the owner a total laughingstock, once she learned who it was" Lucy muttered shamefully, "and the others sided with her."

To conclude her story, Lucy admitted that she was surprised when Lincoln decided to take the heat for her. "He said he was already comfortable with who he was and didn't care if the others mocked him" she stated, "seeing him take the insults and your punishment, Mom and Dad...was one of the bravest things I've seen Lincoln do." After the story was finished, the Loud Sisters prepared to suffer the verbal lashing of the lifetime.

But much to their surprise, both of their parents chose not to do it. "Make no mistake, girls; your father and I are _very_ disappointed in the lot of you for making your sister feel that way" grumbled Rita, "but...we've done enough scolding today and whatever the court decides tomorrow will be a far greater punishment than anything _we_ might give you." Though relieved they would not be yelled at, the Loud Sisters couldn't help but look down in shame slightly.

Only now did they realize just how stupid they've all been acting. By getting into another big fight, they drove their only brother out of the house; thus leading them to eventually becoming social pariahs. Sure, Lincoln might've created the spark by telling his stories to his new friends.

But they only let the story spread because they were concerned for Lincoln's well-being, like the family _should've_ felt. Truly, there were no words to properly describe the shame they felt churning inside of them. That is, _most_ of the sisters felt as such...except for one.

Soon, all eyes fell onto Lori; who seemed to be silent since coming home from the trial. "Have you anything to say for yourself about either Lucy or Lincoln's situations, Elder Sister" murmured Lisa dryly, "or are you still clinging on to your foolish pride?" With that statement, Lori suddenly found herself bursting with bitter laughter.

"I literally feel like there's nothing else to say" she grumbled, "you heard everyone earlier; I'm a monster...despite every effort I made to prove otherwise." After this, she could hear her family speaking in uncertain whispers and murmurs. "Wait...don't tell me you actually _believed_ those people" she cried out in confusion, "c'mon, name _one_ time I've been as bad as the court claims!"

Before anyone could reply, Lisa presented a better option. "After we were released from The Cooler and sent back home, long ago; I noticed that my hidden camera system had been discovered and tampered with" she stated, "it must've happened when those social services officers came into our home." The girls all recalled this hidden camera system of Lisa's quite vividly, as much as they didn't want to.

The young genius claimed she installed it for "scientific purposes." But the girls and their parents couldn't help but think otherwise. "Moving along, the officers must've been viewing some of the footage my system recorded" Lisa muttered, "makes me wonder if they took some of it for themselves to discredit us further."

Upon hearing this, Rita asked what exactly was recorded on the cameras. "I...don't know if I should say, Mother" Lisa said warily, "but if I may put it in simple words...almost everything." After a bit of typing and technical work, the camera system was online and Lisa began searching through the video library.

Upon finding what she needed, Lisa selected the proper list of videos and pressed play. There were clips of her roughly pushing Lincoln away from the bathroom door, a clip showing several of the girls ganging up on him about the homecoming dance, the many prank sprees Luan pulled, the infamous toilet incident they've discussed earlier. But the last clip truly shocked everyone, even the parents.

It was recorded around the time Lincoln accidentally made Ronnie Anne cry. By now, everyone knew the story from beginning to end. But what they or the court _didn't_ see was what happened _before_ the date began.

As the video started to play, Lori was forcibly trying to doll up Lincoln enough for the date. Naturally, he was feeling quite uncomfortable during the whole process...but Lori refused to listen _"C'mon, do I really need to wear khakis"_ he murmured bitterly in the video_ "I feel ridiculous!"_ Before Lincoln could say anything else, Lori sent him a death glare that immediately silenced anymore complaints.

_"Right now, Lincoln; how you feel doesn't matter" she _growled softly_, "tonight, it's about Ronnie Anne and you _are_ going to apologize...or else!"_ To emphasize her point, she pulled off the bar for the towel rack and bent it up into pretzel knots. Despite feeling terrified by her actions; Lincoln said their parents would be quite upset, once they saw that.

_"Even if they do, I'll just tell them _you_ did it" _Lori said threateningly, _"a good punishment is what you deserve for the trouble you've caused!"_ The family couldn't decide what bothered them most; that the newly installed towel rack was damaged and no one confessed (at that time,) that Lori threatened to hurt Lincoln if he didn't do what she said or the fact that she was willing to throw him under the bus to get what she wanted; Bobby's affections back. Even Lori felt concerned by the actions of her past self.

"Wow, everybody was right" she murmured, "I really _can_ be pushy about Lincoln and Ronnie Anne." Everyone murmured softly under their breaths, stating that the word "pushy" was a bit too mild to describe her actions on that day. Speaking of Ronnie Anne; when the next video came up, everyone could see it was around the time she and Bobby first moved to Great Lakes.

The moment Lori heard that the two of them were staying there; Lori screamed in confusion, grabbed Lincoln roughly by the arms and dragged him into Vanzilla. Needless to say, Mr. and Mrs. Loud were quite surprised by their daughter. "Why did you have to drag your brother along, Lori" questioned Rita, "clearly he didn't want to go down there with you!"

Before the teen could respond, Lisa revealed that she also hid a small microphone hidden on the dashboard. "Before anyone scolds me, I installed it in order to make certain no one would attempt to steal Vanzilla, while we slept" she cried defensively, "I simply...forget to turn it off, on occasion, at times." In that moment, the family inwardly felt that the words coming out of the wee genius' mouth sounded so shifty; even Leni could tell she wasn't being entirely truthful.

Upon sensing she would get into trouble soon, Lisa quickly accessed the audio library and played a sample from the date in question.

_Lori: "I don't know what Bobby's thinking, but I am gonna tell him what he __should__ be thinking!"  
__[Lincoln is with her.]__  
__Lincoln:__ "I still don't get why __I__ have to come along."  
__Lori:__[rioting]__ "BECAUSE RONNIE ANNE'S YOUR GIRLFRIEND!"  
__Lincoln:__ "She is not my girlfriend!"  
__Lori:__ "Lincoln, we are literally crossing a bridge. Do you really want to get into an argument WITH ME RIGHT NOW?!"_

After hearing the final set of words, everyone suddenly plugged up their ears and shivered fearfully; as if Past Lori said some sort of hideous swear word. Meanwhile, Present Lori stood in place; her arms firmly at her side, her face scarlet with shame and her top set of teeth gnawing at her bottom lip anxiously.

After a while, Lynn Sr. and Rita glared at their eldest daughter and asked (or rather demanded) for an explanation. "I don't know what shocks me more, the fact you forced your brother against his wishes to drive three hours away for something that wasn't even his concern...or the fact you threatened him" Mr. Loud grumbled bitterly, "were you seriously planning on driving my baby over a bridge...or worse, if Lincoln didn't come with you?" At first, Lori tried to think of some kind of defense to save herself.

But after seeing _and_ hearing just how angry she can be, not just towards Lincoln but towards others as well; those thoughts quickly faded away. The last video that played was the girls' most recent fight, the one that drove Lincoln out of the house. As the girls watch themselves rant, rave and bicker like a group of caged animals; they suddenly felt great loads of guilt hit them like cinder blocks.

_""Wow..._that's_ the reason why Lincoln left us" _Lori thought to herself,_ "I really owe him an apology...or thirty."_ With the reveal of this new evidence, the Loud Family now had a stronger understanding about why things have transpired the way they did. Had Lori and Leni chosen not to fight, the Sister Fight Protocol wouldn't have been initiated...again.

If said protocol wasn't put into affect, Lincoln would still be at home with them and if he remained at home...well, they already knew the rest. "Come tomorrow, we're gonna deliver this footage to the court" Rita decreed, "it may get us into more trouble...but that doesn't matter anymore." Lynn Sr. nodded silently in agreement with his wife, believing that the time had now come for the family to make things right between them and Lincoln.

"Tomorrow, both sides will be making closing arguments and statements" he stated, "when that happens, I want _everyone_ to speak honestly and without using any form of hurtful words." Rather than debate or argue over who this was directed at, the Loud Sisters all promised to obey their father's request. "Let's just all pray that what we do tomorrow helps get Lincoln back" murmured Rita, "if not, who knows what might happen to us; in the end."

After taking a moment to push that horrid idea out of their heads, Lynn Sr. urged the girls to head back to bed and try to sleep the rest of the night. "We'll try, Mom" murmured Lori tiredly, "but I can't promise it'll happen right away; considering the circumstances." In spite of their still lingering sadness, the Loud Sisters returned to their rooms to try and catch up on their sleep.

(Line Break)

The following morning, everyone returned for the second day of the Loud Family Trial. Among those returning were many of the surprise witnesses, even Ronnie Anne was able to rejoin everyone. This time however; instead of just her brother with her, the court could see other members of the Casagrande Family with them.

Upon catching sight of Lincoln; Ronnie Anne's mother, grandparents, aunt, uncle and their children all waved at him. _"_Hola_, Lincoln"_ Grandma Rosa called out with glee,_ "how are you doing so far, _mijito; _did you sleep okay?"_ At that moment, Rita suddenly asked the same question in he loudest voice she could. "It's okay, everybody; I'm fine" Lincoln said with a light chuckle, "Clyde's dads gave me some herbal tea, last night to help me rest...it was really good."

Upon hearing the compliment, Howard (one of Clyde's fathers) gave a bashful chuckle and said it was no big deal. "No, I'm serious" Lincoln said firmly with a loving tone, "I really appreciate that you guys and Clyde were thinking of me through this whole thing." Harold (Clyde's second father) smiled tenderly at Lincoln and said they spent many a night praying for his safety.

"When we heard you were being cared for by your new friends, the three of us felt our prayers had been answered" he said gratefully, "now...let's hope you and your family will be reunited again." Lincoln smiled wistfully at the couple and then, turned his gaze towards his own family; also hoping for them for their eventual reunion. Soon, everyone rose up out of their seats and waited for the judge to restart the trial.

"Thank you all again for coming" Judge Snapper said stoically, "please be seated; court is, once again in session." Everyone did as instructed and then; everything was deathly silent, after that. Finally, after swigging down a cup of water; Judge Snapper welcomed everyone to the second day of the trial.

"Mr. Loud...that is to say, _Lincoln_ Loud" the Judge exclaimed softly, "I don't want to pressure you...but have you anything left to say to your family and the court about what has transpired thus far?" At first, Lincoln didn't offer any replies; he just sat in his chair, scratching his chin in silence...as if contemplating something. Finally; he let out a long sigh, stood up from his seat and presented himself before the court for all to see.

"Before anything else happens, I want to say something" he murmured, "I...I'm sorry, I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused here today." This response caused everyone, even the Loud Family themselves to gasp in shock. "My boy, why are you apologizing" questioned Mr. Bush, "you are not the one facing judgment here."

Lincoln gazed at the lawyer gave him a kind thank you for his help, before proclaiming that he _should've_ been the one facing judgment. "If it wasn't for me, my parents would still have their jobs and my sisters' lives would still be going on like normal" he confessed, "I never wanted any of this to happen to them...none of it!" After that, Lincoln suddenly found himself crying again, which caused the court to mildly glare at the other Louds; believing they were at fault...again.

But then, everyone heard the sounds of soft grunting noises from somewhere close by. Everyone present searched all over the courtroom for the source of the noise and then, CJ (through the television monitor) said he found it. "It's the baby" he exclaimed, "she looks upset, does she need a new diaper."

Everyone sat in confusion, wondering about this supposed "baby" the boy mentioned and where it could be. Then, the noises sounded a little louder and they sounded like they were coming from the back of the room. Upon looking over there, everyone saw little Lily; squirming violently in a female officer's arms.

"Uh-oh, she's fussing" murmured Lynn Jr., "she really _could _need a diaper change!" But the officer holding the baby said that couldn't be the case because she had changed Lily mere moments ago, before the trial began. Then, the officer noticed how Lily kept reaching her tiny hands out towards Lincoln; who was currently doing everything possible not to cry again.

"Oh, you wanna see your brother...is that it" questioned the officer, earning a soft nod from Lily; "well...go right ahead, sweetheart." With that said, she placed Lily on the ground and then; she crawled towards her big brother with incredible speed. Upon seeing this, Rita becomes overwhelmingly ecstatic and starts urging the baby to come to her.

"C'mon, Lily; come to Mommy" she murmured in a half excited/half begging voice, "come to Mommy, sweetie...please?" Much to her surprise, the littlest Loud didn't appear to have heard her calls; which made Rita feel rather concerned. Desperate to hold her baby again, she makes an attempt to approach her; only for a pair of officers to immediately grab hold of her from behind.

"No one told you you could leave, Mrs. Loud" Judge Snapper grumbled, upon noticing the scene; "get back to your seats or these officers will have to get rough!" In that moment, after enduring so much strife and witnessing her children's sadness; Rita's motherly instincts got the better of her. "Why don't you do us all a favor, _Your Honor_...AND CRAM IT" she shrieked, "I'm not gonna be pushed away from my children any longer!"

With that said, Rita gathered whatever amounts of strength she had and pushed the officers off of her. Despite their height and muscle, these men appeared no match for Mrs. Loud's fury. Speaking of which; with her "captors" momentarily incapacitated, it gave her the chance she wanted to go to her daughter.

Without a moment's pause, she rushed towards little Lily; as she continued crawling towards Lincoln. But then, Rita suddenly felt something jab into her back; like the bite of a mosquito. "What in the world" she murmured, "what the heck just hit..." Before she could finish her sentence, the poor woman felt several jolts of electricity run through her; before falling face first onto the floor.

It was then revealed that she had been attacked from behind by one of the officers, who appeared to be armed with a sort of taser. "Consider that a warning to you, Mrs. Loud...and for the rest of your family" grumbled Judge Snapper, "make another scene like that and you will be punished...no exceptions!" While they all agreed that attacking their mother from behind was rather "low," the elder Loud Sisters and their father knew it had to be done; lest they get into anymore trouble.

After seeing the officers take her mother back to her seat; Lily simply blinked in confusion, gave a light shrug of her shoulders and resumed crawling. Meanwhile, Lincoln could now feel tears seeping through his clenched eyelids and trickling down his face. His fists were clenched tight at his sides, his teeth were gnashing together to the point of shattering and everyone could hear faint whispers of "I'm sorry" being said under the boy's breath.

Then, just as he came dangerously close to falling apart; Lincoln suddenly felt something tugging at his pant leg. He opened his eyes in surprised and looked down to find Lily beside his left foot, giving him the "puppy dog eyes stare." In that moment, he forgot about his own tears and quickly scooped his sister up into his arms; fearful that _she_ might cry at any moment.

"It's okay, Lily; don't cry" he whispered, "see...you're big brother's okay." Even though she was only one year old, Lily didn't need a genius IQ to know her brother was lying. But rather than act angry about it, she slowly leaned in...and kissed him softly on the forehead.

This gesture took everyone by surprise, especially the wee one's family. But as shocking as that was, what happened next was truly unexpected. After giving a sad sniffle; Lily gazed at her only brother, opened her mouth wide open...and spoke. "No...No cwy, 'incoln" she murmured softly, "pwease...no cwy; 'cause...it make me...cwy too."

After this, Lily finished up by giving Lincoln's cheek an affectionate pat and letting out a soft baby laugh. This was a situation no one, not even Lincoln himself, expected to happen. Mind you, Lily's words were short and only half-grammatically correct (in the eyes of people like Lisa.)

But still, to hear her speak that way to her brother was both adorable and heartwarming. For a while, Lincoln didn't say anything; his mind feeling a tad too shocked to think of an appropriate verbal response. Then, as he looked back at his baby sister's smiling face; Lincoln sniffled softly and responded in the best way he knew how...with a hug.

"I promise, Lily...no more tears from Big Brother" he whispered, "at least, not after I say what needs to be said." With Lily still in his arms, Lincoln took in a few breaths and faced the crowd again. "I'm sorry, everyone" he murmured, "I'm sorry for opening my mouth, getting my family in trouble and for getting all of _you _angry at_ them._"

From here, he expressed his thanks to everyone for standing up for him; including his Gal Pals crew. "But the truth is; as grateful as I am, I never meant for things to get this far" he murmured, "I never wanted my family to lose their jobs/social lives or to see them all here in court." The crowd suddenly started to murmur in confusion, while the Louds all wondered if their son/brother had gone crazy."

"First of all, young man; you are not at fault about us being here" Judge Snapper said firmly, "all you did was vent to your friends." From here; people like Principal Huggins, Superintendent Chen, Dr. Lopez and even Maria Santiago on the monitor offered the same defense. "The truth is, young man; things only escalated this far because of the _physical_ and _emotional_ evidence we've seen" Dr. Lopez stated, "the lack of sleep caused by your nightmares is an example of this."

The moment the words physical evidence was mentioned, Miss DiMartino rose up from her seat and said she neglected to bring something up during yesterday's proceedings. "You see, Lincoln and his friends came to the Tranquil Springs Spa for some relaxation; as most people do" she explained, "I work there on occasion as a masseuse and it was during their visit that I...saw something.

Naturally, Judge Snapper said that she required more information than just "I saw something" from the young lady and Miss DiMartino was more than willing to provide it. But before she did, she warned everyone that what they would see next isn't for the squeamish. "You see...before massaging him, I got a look at his back" she murmured, "when I did, I...well, you should all see for yourselves."

With that said; Miss DiMartino took out a picture from a folder beside her, rose from her seat, took a stand beside Lincoln and revealed said picture to everyone. It was of Lincoln's red and pockmarked back, the same picture that was shown on the news not so long ago. From the lad's shoulder-blades, across the back and front of his arms even down to the space just above his bottom; people saw what looked like a mild yet still rather disgusting case of sunburn...or some sort of skin infection.

Everyone in the courtroom responded differently to this image. Lincoln protectively shielded Lily's eyes (as did Frieda Casagrande with her sons,) Principal Huggins came close to ralphing on the floor, Mrs. Johnson almost fainted from shock, Judge Snapper stared in slack-jawed disbelief and the Louds simply looked at it in confusion; as if unsure of what the picture was. After the judge, somehow managed to calm everyone down, she asked what Ms. DiMartino was showing them.

"This is the backside of the plaintiff, Lincoln Loud" she replied, "it was taken by the spa's security cameras during their visit." Feeling curious, Maria Santiago asked for someone to show her the image. When she got a look at it, the poor woman's eyes almost popped from her head.

"Good God Almighty" she cried in disbelief, "what in the...how on earth did his back get like this?!" In response, Miss DiMartino said that it happened sometime after the "bad luck incident" Lincoln mentioned before. "Because my family believed I was only good luck while in the suit, I was forced to remain in it in order to 'keep them safe'" Lincoln interjected sarcastically, "I stood on that spot for hours, I wasn't even allowed to take the head off!"

Upon hearing all this, Ms. Santiago began to ask him all manner of questions; was he ever given refreshments, did he soak himself in the shower after he was (eventually) allowed to take it off, why didn't the family help keep him cool? But the biggest question was...did Lincoln make sure the suit was clean before he put it on? "Uh...well, I was in a really big rush to get back to my family" Lincoln murmured, "so, I...no."

The moment this was said, both Ms. DiMartino and Ms. Santiago glared angrily at the Louds. "This is not a simple sunburn he has, people" the young nurse exclaimed, "it's a form of skin rash due to the suit still carrying a lot of the original wearer's sweat, bacteria and odor!" From here, Ms. Santiago described how all the ways the sweat inside of the suit could harm the body.

These ways included discomfort, severe irritation and of course, it could also lead to the wearer to become physically ill. "Furthermore, because the inside of the suit wasn't properly cleaned with any kind of cleaning substances; the germs within it helped create the infected skin rash you see in these images" Ms. Santiago exclaimed, "yet no one even bothered to wonder about this...all because you all were more focused on your own well-being over Lincoln's" Before any of the Louds could offer up any kind of defense; Judge Snapper warned them that if the word "luck" was mentioned again in any way, they would be removed from the courtroom.

Upon hearing this, the family did everything in their power to remain as quiet as church mice. They even did their best to keep Leni from saying anything. "Thankfully, Your Honor; I had the proper materials to help clear away the irritation before it got any worse" Miss DiMartino stated, "not to mention that Lincoln got a relaxing massage out of it as well. Hee-hee-hee."

The young lad couldn't help but blush a little, which caused Lily to giggle softly in his arms. "The point is, Lincoln; _we_ have just as much of a hand in causing all this to happen as you did" Principal Huggins stated, "we only wanted to make sure you were safe." Lincoln nodded slightly in understanding, his regret slightly lifting off his shoulders and he thanked everyone who chose to help him.

"Still, though...I never wanted us to end up here" Lincoln murmured while looking at his family, "I just...I just wanted you guys to stop fighting and love me again." The Louds were beyond shocked by the sound of Lincoln's words. It was as if he had said every racial slur and vulgarity within one phrase.

"Lincoln Loud, how could you even say such a thing" Rita cried in disbelief, after recovering from the taser shock; "we _do _love you...we always have." The moment she said this, Lincoln chuckled sarcastically at her and went into a tangent about all the times he needed the family's support...but they weren't there. "If you _did_ love me, you would've come to look for me and bring me home the moment Lori and Leni's stupid fight started" he exclaimed, "if you _did_ love me, you'd try to help defend me; instead of letting them do stuff like trying to force me into dating people."

At this point, Judge Snapper said they already knew about the situation between him and Ronnie Anne and wished to put it past them. "It's not just that, Your Honor" he retorted, "it happened on another occasion, right around the time my school's Sadie Hawkins Dance was approaching." He then explained how he originally wanted to simply skip out on the dance and just go have fun at Gus' that night.

"But then, the moment I get home; five of my sisters start surrounding me and asking if I was going with Ronnie Anne" Lincoln grumbled, "when I told them no, they got upset; saying I'd be 'destroying the most important day in a girl's life.'" Rita gasped in shock, wondering why she didn't know about this until now. But then, she remembered that she had to take a late shift that night at the dentist's office.

But while Rita failed to set her daughters straight back then, Judge Snapper was more than willing to do it now. The first thing she did was burst out into laughter; which would seem unbecoming of a person in her position, to the eyes of outsiders. Once she calmed down, she gazed at the Loud Sisters and shook her head in disbelief.

"Up until now, I thought that your eldest sister was the only delusional one" chuckled Judge Snapper, "but it seems the near lot of you is just as bad." Feeling mildly offended, Luna said that the dance was a big night for girls and Lincoln refusing to go would be a huge offense to them. "With all due respect, Missy, you are in no position to say that something is important to 'all' females" Judge Snapper shot back, "I never went to _my_ Sadie Hawkins Dance, when I was yours or your brother's age; instead, I went to the movies with my friends."

After that, she decided to further show off the holes in the girls' logic by bringing up the matter of the Sister Fight Protocol. "You say that the whole matter was 'a sister thing' and that no one would 'understand.'" she murmured, "but the truth is, I _do_ understand what it's like to be a sister..._and_ a middle child in the family."

After that; she reached into her robe, pulled out her wallet and brought out a family photo..._her_ family photo. "As you can see, I came from a big family too" she stated, "I have three older brothers and three younger sisters and we hardly ever fought." From here; she said that aside from a few noogies, Dutch Ovens and one or two instances of hair pulling...she and her siblings never quarreled like the Louds did.

"My eldest brother, for all_ his_ love of sports, never used any of us as dummies for practice" she said wistfully, "nor did he believe in the idea of luck, he believed in four things on the field; honoring his team, being a good sport, never pushing himself too hard during practice and most importantly...having fun." Once more, Lynn was prepared to give her famous "winning _is_ fun" defense. But after the talk he and Lucy had the night before, she realized her abrasive nature wasn't getting her anywhere.

So, in the end; she decided to hold her tongue and beckoned the judge to proceed. "My siblings and I would often have spats of our own, when we were kids" she stated, "but we never took things to the sort of extremes your family does, Lincoln." It was here that Lola rose from her seat and proclaimed "we're the _Loud_ Family, lady; we're all about being outrageous and extreme!"

Upon hearing this, the judge chuckled and commented on how Lincoln might be the exception to that rule. "But...we're in danger of getting off-topic here" she stated, "what's this you're saying about your family not loving you?" With a weary heart; Lincoln proclaimed that if his sisters loved him, they would've noticed he was gone and tried to look for him. Furthermore; if his parents loved him enough, they wouldn't have allowed their daughters to abuse him in the extreme ways they used.

"I mean...Lisa has the DNA of every member of my family on record, collects fecal samples from a few of us _and_ she put tracking chips on all of us" he cried out, "Lord only knows _where_ and_ how_ she managed to put them on...or if she put them _inside of us._" Neither Rita nor Lynn Sr. doubted their son's words; after learning of Lisa's hidden camera system, it didn't surprise them to know that their "prodigy" had done other things as well with her technology. The court and Judge Snapper, on the other hand had difficulty stomaching the revelation.

"Let me see if I've heard you correctly, Mr. Loud" murmured the judge, "one of your youngest sisters...put trackers on you...without you knowing it?" Lincoln nodded his head and said it was all part of Lisa's "scientific studies." When the judge asked for the girl's rebuttal on this...she offered no resistance.

"It's true, the trackers are but one of the inventions I've used either on my family or on the foundation of our home" she muttered, "in fact, I have something to show you." She then gave a whistle and in came an officer holding a baggie full of flash drives. "Everything you heard my brother say about us is true" Lisa muttered in shame, "and you will find the proof you will require on the video footage saved on those drives."

For the moment, Judge Snapper didn't know whether to commend the girl on her integrity or to scold her for violating any means of privacy the family should've had. All the same, she accepted the bag and placed it upon her podium. After that, everyone in the room looked at the Louds; wondering what else they had to say about their son only desiring their love.

"Son, I...I'm sorry, I never realized you felt like this" Lynn Sr. stammered in surprise, "you should've said something; no matter what might've happened afterwards...your mother and I would've certainly done _something_ to make things right." When asked what he meant by "no matter what happened afterwards," Lynn nervously replied in saying he was afraid the girls would think he and his wife were playing favorites. This statement merely caused the courtroom crowd to collectively facepalm themselves, thinking that the "playing favorites" issue would be the death of families everywhere.

Following this; Rita rose from her seat, approached Lincoln and gave him the biggest hug she could muster. "Your father is right, honey; we all love you with all our hearts" she murmured sweetly, "and...and we're sorry if we ever made you think otherwise or if we made you feel like you had to _earn_ that love."

Lincoln suddenly clutched his hand to his chest, feeling as though his heart was either bursting with emotion or shattering from regret. After this, the Loud Sisters quickly joined in on the hug, which took both him and the court crowd completely off-guard. "We're sorry too, Lincoln" Lori murmured, "this only happened because of some literally bad advice we gave you on the Sister Fight Protocol, we never should've taken things this far."

After this, Leni decided that the time had come for _them_ to list all the reasons why they missed_ him _and how much he meant to the family. "The truth is, Linky; we've missed you as much you did the old us" she sniffled, "we missed having you around to make us smile." After this, Leni gestured for the others to say why they missed him.

Lori: I miss our mud mask time and watching TV together

Luna: I miss havin' my favorite Concert Compadre to hang with and jam with. Without you, my rock has turned into the Blues

Luan: I miss having you performing beside me at my gigs

Lynn: I miss goofin' around with you and having our _Lucha Libre _matches in my room.

Lucy: I miss hearing your input on my work and how much we would collab together.

Lana: I miss you playing with Lola and me...and helping us make sure we don't tear each other apart, whenever we argue.

Lola: I miss having you coach me, hearing you cheer me on during my pageants and all of our tea parties

Lisa: Normally, it is often against my nature to express inane human emotions. In this case, however...

(Lisa cries geysers of tears wildly)

Lisa: WITHOUT YOU IN OUR HOME, I...I-I FEEL I HAVE NO ONE TO CALL MY EQUAL!

The moment she said this, Lincoln questioned Lisa on how _he_ was seen as her equal; considering all the times she mocked his IQ. "I meant no true offense in that, Brother" she said defensively, "it was just my way of being...funny...ha-ha." Despite the overall honesty of her words, everyone didn't appear pleased how she considered mocking another person's intellect was "funny."

"B-But my point is...while you may not have an Einsteinian level intellect, you still have clever ways to make things right for our family" she stated, "not to mention that you're the only one who can make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for me in just the right way I like them." Lincoln smiled broadly at his young sister, feeling genuinely touched by how highly she thought of him. "We know you screwed up, Son; we know you're not perfect" Lynn Sr. murmured, "but then...neither are we, as the testimonies against us and all the memories we've shared had proven."

While the scene was, admittedly touching; the judge couldn't help but feel mildly impatient and asked the family to wrap things up soon. "The main point, Son...is that we _do_ love you" Lynn Sr. assured, "and when all this is over, we will do whatever we can to either prove our love..or earn back _yours_." He then went on to promise things would be different between them, after everything was said and done.

"You best believe things will be different, Mr. Loud" muttered Judge Snapper, "but we must first wait until after the jury debated on the verdict. With that said, she then asked if either side had anything else to say or offer. Almost immediately, Lincoln and his family all shook their heads in unison; proclaiming that everything that needed to be said had already been brought out into the open.

"Very well; Foreman, you and the jury are dismissed to make your deliberation" Judge Snapper stated, "as for the rest of you, this court is adjourned until the jury has come to a unanimous decision on the verdict." With that said, she slammed her gavel upon the podium surface and everyone in the court began to leave the room. At this time, Lincoln joined up with Clyde and his Gal Pal crew and they began to discuss momentary lodging arrangements.

Before leaving, however; Lincoln cast a glance back at his family. When they saw him staring at them; Lynn, Rita and the girls wondered what he would say or do next. Then, he gave them a silent smile and formed a heart formation over his chest with his hands; as if to say "I love you guys." Immediately, the family recognized this gesture and they each sent it back to _him_ as well.

After that, everyone went their separate ways; mentally wondering what the future might have in store, when the final day of the trial arrived.

(First AN: The trial proceedings have ended and now, we wait for the verdict. What decision will the jury come to, after everything that has happened, what does Madame Fate have in store for Lincoln and his family? Whatever happens, one thing is certain, a new day is coming for our young friend.)

(Second AN: While I _am_ aware that Lisa dismantled her surveillance system at the end of House of Lies. I cannot help but wonder if the bathroom cameras are the only ones she has installed within the house. As such, it makes sense for this system to capture certain moments of the family's lives without them knowing.

But after today, methinks the parents will put their feet down and demand that Lisa has the whole thing taken apart. I doubt she'll be able to do otherwise, if the court were to demand it instead.)

(Third AN: If Lily having her small speaking moment feels "unreal" to any of you, I'm sorry. But because she's been able to say a few small words, in the past; I felt it necessary for her to give Lincoln her own kind of pep talk. Plus, next to Luna; she seems to be one of the few Loud Sisters he feels truly comfortable around...even though she's a baby.

So, it makes a little sense for her to try and cheer him up in her own way.)

(Final AN: While Lincoln may not be Lisa's intellectual equal, she sees him as an equal for his own form of wisdom. Such a thing can be hard to find for a lot of us nerds, am I right?)


	30. Chapter Twenty-Nine: Final Judgement

The Trial – Conclusion: Final Judgment

Several days passed by since the main proceedings of the trial came to a close. During that time; back at the courthouse, the jury remained inside of a private room. Here; they spent many hours debating, reviewing the testimonies they've heard and looking through all the evidence that was provided...including the footage within the flash drives Lisa provided.

At the same time, everyone else did their best to go about their lives like normal. Unfortunately for Lincoln, his time at court used up the last two days of Spring Break; which meant it was time to come back to school. However, due to the circumstances he was facing; the school staff made certain not to make things too difficult for him.

That is to say; during each class he took, Lincoln was surprised to see how smoothly things were going. No one was teasing him, he took his notes without any interruptions, he was able to catch up with his guy crew at lunch and people only approached him once or twice with questions about the trial. Aside from the usual "are you feeling okay," "did it scare you being up on the stand" or "where is your family now?"

Now, he didn't mind responding to a few questions or concerns his peers had for him. But after a while, Lincoln politely asked everyone to give him some breathing room. "Would you be willing to ask _one_ more question, though" inquired a girl from the back row of the class, "how long do you think it will take for the jury to come to a verdict."

As one would expect, Lincoln wasn't able to answer such a question; this was the first time he or any member of his family were put in court before. "Well, Lincoln; if I may be so bold to say this" murmured Mollie, "after hearing the kind of things you've been through, this should've happened ages ago." The rest of the class couldn't help but agree with her.

If not for the stress and abuse they put Lincoln through; the family should've been persecuted for Lana harboring exotic animals illegally, Luna blowing out the town's power on _multiple_ occasions, Lola blackmailing or attacking anyone who crosses her or even Lisa for violating possibly several international laws with the types of inventions she created. In any case, many of Lincoln's classmates were pleased to see them all facing justice; after so long. This sort of thing wasn't discussed in _just_ Lincoln's classroom, however.

(Line Break)

In other areas of the school, teachers found themselves gossiping about the trial during their private time. Some of these teachers; like Mrs. Johnson, Coach Pacowski and even the Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Shrinivas expressed some of the guilt they felt towards the situation. "I can't believe the way the class and I once scolded Lincoln for how much energy his family used" murmured Mrs. Johnson shamefully, "what's worse...I allowed the class to shun him because of how much he smelled because of his sweat."

She felt especially bitter about the last part; if she could handle the stench of the Tuna Surprise Casserole in the cafeteria, she _should've_ been able to stomach one student's body odor. "I am no better, Agnes" Mrs. Shrinivas sighed, "even though she gave her brother the 'credit' for it, I had no right to chew him out for Lisa's choice to be average." Coach Pacowski didn't seem any bigger of a person either.

"All those times I said Loud had been slackin' in my class...I take it all back" he murmured, "now, I know why he struggled at times; he has to conserve his energy just to survive in that crazy house of his!" The moment this was mentioned, they began to wonder what would become of the family in the end. Would they all be split up, after the trial; would the jury, somehow declare them innocent of their crimes and more importantly...what would become of Lincoln?

"Though my time in there was brief" Principal Huggins murmured while sipping his coffee slowly, "I've seen and heard enough to know Mr. Loud has been put through the wringer for who knows how long." The rest of the staff couldn't help but nod slightly in agreement. After that, Huggins asked everyone to help him vote on something regarding Lincoln.

"Whatever happens at the end of this trial; from here on out, we must try and exercise some level of leniency with him" he stated, "now, before any of you say anything...just hear me out first." From this point, Huggins explained that while no student deserved to be put above others; Lincoln might require additional time and guidance to make certain his final days at school would go more smoothly. "In other words, I would prefer professionals from our school to help tutor him" he stated, "while she may be a genius; I don't quite think Lincoln's sister, Lisa quite has the open-mindedness and flexibility for the role."

After this, he asked if anyone had ideas for volunteers. "I don't think anyone here can help with that, Wilbur" Mrs. Johnson said with a regretful sigh, "between grading papers for our classes, managing the school and our own social lives; it'd be too difficult to help Lincoln, even if we wanted to." With that said, everyone agreed that the best thing they could do for Lincoln now was support him and, should he need it between now and graduation, offer up any extra time he needed to turn in his work. "I just hope the jury reaches a verdict soon" murmured Principal Huggins, "all this worrying is making me lose whatever hair I have left."

As if on cue, a few strands of hair fell from the back of his head and landed upon his left shoulder. Huggins took the hairs into his hand, stared at them silently for a moment or too and then emitted a sort of soft puppy's whimper.

(Line Break)

Back at the courthouse, all the jurors were hard at work in discussing the final verdict. With each passing day; they reviewed each of the testimonies, discussed about the behaviors of both parties, debated on the relationships between Lincoln and his family and most importantly, looked over almost every piece of evidence that was provided. Surprisingly, the jury was slightly divided by the matter.

Some members fully believed the Loud Family was not only unfit to raise Lincoln. But that each one of them deserved to suffer punishments befitting the nature of their crimes. While others believed everything that happened was just typical dysfunctional family behavior, which wasn't something worth going to prison or Juvie for.

These same members proclaimed that too many of the witnesses that were called up seemed to paint Lincoln Loud as sort of a "saintly" sort of boy, meaning they acted like he did nothing wrong. "It's like what his one sister said" one juror grumbled, "if the boy just stayed at home and kept quiet, his family's lives would all still be in tact and none of this stuff would be happening." Naturally, this sort of talk caused many members of the jury to feel outraged.

"How can you talk like that" exclaimed a female member of the jury, "need I remind you that the plaintiff's suffering has been going on long before certain recent events?" In retort, the old man brought up all the "crimes" Lincoln committed against his sisters. To which, several people echoed the same words that were said in the courtroom days ago.

Whatever Lincoln did to his family weren't really considered as "crimes," only misdemeanors/mistakes. The old man simply scoffed in reply, proclaiming that all they had on that matter were stories. To put it one way, the whole debate looked like a scene taken straight out of 12 Angry Men.

"All I've seen in terms of evidence was that silly squirrel costume and a map to some storage facility" he said firmly, "I wanna see some real hard evidence that proves who's in the right and who's in the wrong." The moment he said this, all eyes fell upon a lone Ziploc baggie on the table; one that contained a handful of flash drives. "According to the so called 'genius' of the Loud Family, she said these drives contains all the evidence we need to see that her brother's claims were true" murmured the foreman, "let's see if she was telling the truth."

With everyone nodding in agreement, including those slightly against Lincoln; the foreman opened up the bag, pulled out the first of the flash drives and popped it into a nearby laptop computer.

(Several Moments Later)

Almost an hour and a half passed by and the jury had finished watching every piece of footage contained on each flash drive. Through it all, the members of the jury seemed to have this...odd looks upon their faces; not quite angry yet not quite disgusted either. In the end; when the final piece of footage finished playing, everyone asked each other one unanimous question, "WHY WOULD ANYONE FILM/DOCUMENT THIS?!"

"That little girl has a severely twisted idea of security and scientific study" grumbled the elderly juror, "does she even have legal rights to put cameras into their bathroom?" With that inquiry, everyone began to question if Lisa had any right to do record _any_ of the things they saw. "It's not just the bathroom cameras that bother me" a 30 year old woman grumbled bitterly, "it's the stuff some of those things the girls got away with that I find unnerving"

Several members of the jury couldn't help but agree; wondering if the kids' parents had any concept of raising children...or _spines, _for that matter! The foreman quickly interjected, upon hearing this; saying that according to Lynn Sr., the girls' father, him taking any kind of disciplinary action towards anyone might cause the others to believe he was "playing favorites." Needless to say, the group did not respond to it pleasantly.

"I've heard a lot of excuses for criminal or immoral behavior, in all my years as a member of this jury" the old man from earlier grumbled, "but that is without a doubt, the biggest load of crap I've ever heard!" Though they didn't quite like his choice of words, the rest of the jury most certainly agreed with his opinion. "What's even crazier is how the parents _choose_ to let some of their daughters get away with so much" another female juror exclaimed, "if I pulled the sort of pranks the one with the braces did, when _I _was her age, my parents would've sent me to an asylum!"

Upon hearing this, some members of the jury decided to show some empathy on Lynn Sr. and Rita's part; proclaiming that, due to some of their daughters being...emotionally unstable, they might've been too afraid to retaliate. "How many of _us_ would have the stones to yell at a daughter who has snakes for pets or one that has working ray guns in her bedroom" murmured another of the female jurors, "to be honest; personally speaking, I'd be terrified." Though there was some truth behind their associate's words, it did little to sway the rest of the jury.

"Be that as it may, the family's actions towards their son and the rest of the town has gone unpunished long enough" grumbled the foreman, "come tomorrow morning, it all ends!" With that said, everyone gave each other a slight nod; as if coming to a silent yet unanimous decision on their verdict. After that, they shook hands and were given permission to return to their homes.

_"Whatever the judge's sentence is, I hope she doesn't hold back" _the foreman thought,_ "at the same time, I wonder what she'll have in mind for the boy?"_ With this thought in mind, everyone left the jury room in silence; mentally praying for a swift and just end to the trial tomorrow morning.

(Line Break)

At 11 AM, the following morning; everyone gathered at the courthouse for the final proceedings of the Loud Family Trial. At the same time, people at home had their televisions turned on to this very event; wondering what the final verdict might be. Among these viewers were the families of all of Lincoln's Gal Pals, the families of his guy friends, the Casagrandes and many of the Loud Sisters' (momentarily former) friends and lovers.

Needless to say, this was a big to-do for the people of Royal Woods and possibly all of Michigan. No matter whose side anyone was on, this would be a day no one would forget; especially not Lincoln or his family. Speaking of whom, Lincoln was dropped off at the courthouse by the McBrides; who all agreed to stand by Lincoln to the end, even if the judge sentenced him and his family to be split up.

Seconds later, Vanzilla arrived at the courthouse as well. But everyone outside was surprised to see the van and all its passengers were being brought over via a tow truck. Upon seeing everyone looking at them, Lynn Sr. couldn't help but chuckle nervously. "Sorry if we're running late, folks" he murmured, "had some...technical issues with the van, on the way over and we needed a lift, heh-heh."

No one chuckled at his tame little pun; instead, the crowd chose to give them brief yet indifferent glances and turn away. The Louds took this as a sign that the people still felt testy about them but decided to not say or do anything in retaliation. Instead, they slowly marched their way up the steps of the courthouse with their heads hanging low.

(Quick cut to inside of the courtroom; the theme for The People's Court plays as background music, as everyone takes their seats.)

As Lincoln makes his way towards his desk, he casts a silent glance at his family; who all appear tired and groggy. "Man, they must've had a rough time sleeping during the past couple of days" he murmured, "not that things were any better for _me_ either." Once everyone was present, Judge Snapper arrived and the court followed the same instructions they did before; rise in respect of the judge and wait until she gives the command to be seated.

After giving her gavel a modest slam, Judge Snapper gestured for everyone to sit down. "Ladies and Gentlemen; before we begin, I wish to first express my thanks to all of you for becoming involved in this trial" she stated humbly, "it's rare that we should get a case like this...but it's still an important one, nonetheless." This statement caused everyone to murmur softly in agreement with each person present silently expressing their own feelings on the trial.

After calmly asking for order in the court, Judge Snapper took a moment to express her final thoughts on the matter. "As I said before, a case like this one is something I haven't overseen in ages" she murmured, "then again...I've not quite seen a family like the one here today either." There was no denying the truth behind the judge's words.

While the concept of big families was not a rare one, a family that raised ten children most certainly was. "That being said, however; when _any_ kind of family makes mistakes, they must be equally punished" Judge Snapper said firmly, "on that note...has the jury reached a verdict?" All eyes slowly turned towards the jury booth, as the foreman rose up from his seat.

"It took some time to do so but...we have, Your Honor" the man stated, "after much discussion and debate, we the jury find the defendants...guilty on all charges." This announcement caused the entire courtroom to fly into an uproar. Some like the lawyers Baldur, Burns and Bush were overjoyed by this ruling; others were either distressed or sad.

Among those who were a mix of the two (distressed and sad) was the Loud Sisters themselves. "NO, PLEASE...PLEASE DO A RECOUNT" Lola wailed, "I'M TOO YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL TO GO TO JAIL!" The rest of her sisters and even her parents were also expressing their distress towards the idea of prison.

"Please, I'm begging you...don't send me, my wife and our girls off to the Pokey" begged Lynn Sr., "we'll do anything!" Surprisingly, even Lincoln was feeling concerned over his family's fate; despite emerging the victor in the end. "Please, Your Honor; I know my family did a lot of wrong things" he exclaimed while rising from his seat, "but a few of them are too young for prison and others are far too sweet for it."

To emphasize his point, he made hear gestures at the likes of Leni and Lily and they did the same for him. The whole room echoed loudly with mixed sounds of either joy or distress...until Judge Snapper silenced everyone with a slam of her gavel. Once everyone went silent, the time had come for the judge to pass her sentence.

"Now that you mention it, Mr. Loud; I _was_ considering either jail or Juvenile Hall for your sisters" she muttered firmly, "I even considered the idea of having the thirteen of you be separated from each other." Upon hearing these ideas; Lynn Sr. and Rita gasped in horror, while the children all appeared on the verge of crying. They acted like this for a minute or two and then, Judge Snapper slammed her gavel again; calling for order.

"You must let me finish, Louds" she grumbled slightly, "I _was_ considering those options, particularly due to the severity of your actions and crimes towards your brother/son." After hearing the last part of the judge's statement, the Louds closed their eyes shut; prepping themselves for the worse. "However...due to the heartfelt words you all shared with each other a few days ago, I have decided not to go with any of them" she said with a coy grin, "instead, you'll simply have to pay for all the damages you've made to the town _and_ the plaintiff."

Upon hearing that they might have to "pay" for their transgressions, Lynn and Rita became quite distressed. The girls also felt quite shocked by this idea. "With all due respect, Your Honor; we literally don't have _that_ kind of money" Lori murmured fearfully, "even if some of my sisters and I worked _triple_ shifts at any day jobs or neighborhood chores, we still couldn't pay the town back!"

After a while, the judge got the court to calm down...again and decided to explain her sentence for the Louds in a list order. Firstly, the family (sans Lincoln) would indeed have to pay for all the damages. But because they lacked the financial means to do so, the best way for them to "pay" would be through community service.

At first, none of the girls or even Lynn and Rita themselves felt this was too bad of a punishment. But then, Judge Snapper added that due to the Louds' extensive list of damages and how much it would cost to repair them, it would require 100-150 days worth of community service to pay everything off. "THAT LONG, YOUR HONOR" cried Lynn Sr. in shock, "c'mon...we couldn't have cause _that_ much damage, right?"

Without missing a beat, the bailiff approaches and shows the family the list of damages they caused the neighborhood and the city. "The 'painting the town red' thing your daughter did as a 'joke,' _that _was just the tip of the iceberg" Judge Snapper murmured, "the rest of it is to pay back the rest of the town, as well as anyone your daughters have ever crossed the line with." As if on cue; Agent Mathers from Social Services and his daughter, Amy (who is still in her cast) stood up from their seats and glared at Lynn Jr.'s direction.

Under normal circumstances, such a stare down wouldn't faze her. But after everything that happened, her once fierce exterior had cracked slightly and she was soon starting to feel something she hadn't felt in ages...genuine fear. Meanwhile, the rest of the family was still rather shocked by the amount of community service time they had to put in.

"But...Your Honor, most of us are literally still in school" Lori murmured, "how are we supposed to do 150 days of Community Service?" Judge Snapper scratched her chin in thought for a moment, as if considering Lori's words. Finally, she realized the girl had a point and decided to make some alterations to the first part of their sentence.

"Because you are all still in school, the community service will not be enacted until after the semester is over" she decreed, "furthermore, you will have to only work 110 days and it shall start on the first days of the Summer Holiday." With this announcement, the girls all believed the first option would've been better. One-hundred and ten days of community work..._and_ at the start of break; truly, compared to _that,_ jail would seem like a luxury vacation.

"That now brings us into Part Two of your sentence, everyone" Judge Snapper said suddenly, "bear in mind, this next part will only involve a small number of you." Before anyone could speak up; Judge Snapper asked for Lori, Luan, Lynn Jr., Lola and Lisa to step forward. Once they followed her command; the judge said that this next punishment would last from tomorrow till the last day of the family's community service.

"Along with helping them during the summer; after school, you ladies will be taking some more classes" she stated, "classes that will teach you both sensitivity and proper anger management." Naturally, these ladies proclaimed the idea incredibly unfair and they made sure that the court would hear it. "Listen up, lady; first off, I don't have 'anger management issues'" growled Lynn, "I manage to get angry just _fine!" _

Alas, all her ranting seemed to do was make the judge's point all the more clearer. "It's not _just_ anger management you're being sent to, missy" chuckled Judge Snapper, "through sensitivity training, you and your sisters here will...hopefully start to behave like kinder young ladies." Lisa simply scoffed at the idea, proclaiming that such a class was no place for a genius.

"Quite the contrary, Lil' Einstein; it's just what you need" Ms. Baldur called out, "it's high time you realize how much you've hurt people with your so-called 'witty' personality." After this; Judge Snapper proclaimed that if any of the girls failed to do as they were told during their classes, more days would be added to their family's community service. "The same thing applies to when the rest of you are working" she added while staring at the rest of the sisters, "should you be slacking off, giving lip or fighting one another in _any_ way; it will only make things harder for you."

Of all the girls, Lori and Lola were particularly dreading community service work. "All that sweating, garbage and other stuff will make my makeup run" both girls whined in unison, "jail seems better than that!" Moving along, Judge Snapper decided to give them something more...positive to balance out the bad parts of their sentence.

"Number three, each one of you shall have your positions reinstated at your former workplaces" she decreed, "but...you will all be working while on probation." Upon hearing this, Leni tilted her head in confusion; asking what was probation and "how much water they needed to take with it." With all the patience she could muster, Judge Snapper asked for someone to help explain to young lady what probation was.

"She means we'll be able to go back and work at our jobs, brah" Luna stated, "but...it also means the fuzz (or police) will be watchin' our every move." At first, Leni felt happy about the idea of going back to work at the mall again. She missed all her work friends and hoped that, after everything that's happened, they would forgive her.

But before she could think more on that, Judge Snapper quickly decided to explain the rest of their probation sentence. "Should any of you break any rules or upset the police, while on probation; you'll go directly to jail" she said threateningly, "but only for a few days." Leni did not like the sound of going to jail in the slightest.

But only because of the orange jumpsuit she would have to wear, if she _did_ get sent there. However, while wearing tacky suits was "grody" in itself, the idea of the police monitoring her and any of her other sisters was even more terrifying. Because that meant if any of them screwed up in any way, they'd get into trouble.

For the fourth part of the Louds sentence; Judge Snapper informed Luan that from now on, she was forbidden by law to pull of anymore outrageous pranks. "You are still allowed to indulge in small pranks, however" she informed, "things like whoopee cushions, joy buzzers and at least _one _pie in the face per day are acceptable." Upon hearing these words, Luan felt some small form of relief.

A pie in the face was her go-to gag, you see and if she was forbidden to give at least _one_...it would be like torture for her. "All your other pranks, however will now be considered as punishable offenses" Judge Snapper said threateningly, "if you paint the town, trap your family inside of a gelatin mold, shave your pets/your family or perform _any_ other pranks of those calibers again...you'll be locked up until you're in your sixties!" At first, Luan felt a small urge to make a pun...but she felt too nervous to do so.

To ensure Luan wouldn't break her punishment, the bailiff attached a leg monitor on her left ankle. "This will not only help the police keep an eye on you during our probation and community service" Judge Snapper explained, "it will also signal the station if you're about to break your anti-pranking rule." After this, she added that the rest of her sisters and her parents would get a leg monitor as well.

Confused, Luan asked how the police would even know about that. "Have you forgotten already, missy" the judge inquired, "these are the same kind of monitors you all wore when your family was under house arrest days ago." Upon being reminded of this, Luan remembered how the police could hear everything through a radio on the devices. This meant that if she was plotting on building something as small as a pie catapult, they would hear her.

With this new information in mind, Luan suddenly realized that her days of a mad prankster were now over. From there, Judge Snapper moved on to the fifth part of the sentence. By her authority, the Loud Parents were now forbidden by law to leave their children in the hands of those like Aunt Ruth.

"Despite the number of children you have; in the future, you must leave them in the care of more skilled professionals" Judge Snapper said matter-of-factly, "someone who has a more...emotionally stable personality." Lori couldn't help but scowl slightly, when she realized the jab was being directed at her. As an addendum to this rule, Judge Snapper asked for Carol and her crew to step forward; which they did.

"In addition to this ruling, Miss Pingrey and a group of her compatriots have agreed to be appointed as young Lincoln's legal guardians" Judge Snapper decreed, "should you two, your daughter, Lori or anyone else you know be unable to help watch over him; they shall take up that position." Lincoln's face suddenly began to glow bright with joy. By becoming his legal guardians, Carol and her crew were like part of his family now (metaphorically speaking.) The girls in question were just as excited as he was.

"All my life, I've always wondered what it would be like to have a brother" murmured Carol, her eyes brimming slightly with tears; "and now...I feel like I just _got_ one!" More than anything, Lincoln wanted to race up and give his new guardians the biggest hugs ever. But there was still one thing puzzling him.

"This arrangement is okay with me" Lincoln stated, "but what about my sisters; who will look after _them_, if not someone like Aunt Ruth or Lori?" In response to his inquiry, Officer Schoffner called for three of her fellow police women to come forward; Higgins, Simmons and Campos. When the officers in question stepped forward, Rita's eyes almost popped from her head.

Standing before her was the same trio of officers who were helping look after Lily during the trial. Speaking of which; when she caught a glimpse of them, little Lily almost shrieked with joy. Unable to hold back her excitement any longer; one of the officers, a thirty year old woman with red hair and glasses (presumably the one called Higgins,) approached Lily and scooped her up in her arms.

"Hello, sugar pie" she said with an adorably cute Southern accent, "looks like we'll get to pway some more, yes we will." Soon after; her partners, Simmons (a black woman in her mid-20's with blonde hair) and Campos (a Hispanic brunette) joined in on the playful baby talk. The girls watched in awe, as their youngest sister cooed happily in the officers' presence.

"If Lily is able to get along with them, maybe we can too" murmured Lana, "that is...as long as we don't make them mad at us." The other sisters nodded slightly in silent agreement, vowing to try and not cross any of the three officers...on purpose, that is. Moving on to the sixth part of the girls' sentence; Judge Snapper decreed that from that point on, the family's "Sister Fight Protocol" was now strictly forbidden.

"By order of this court; there is to no further usage, talk or even consideration of this idea" she said sternly, "if your daughters are having a squabble, Mr. and Mrs. Loud; either you stop it or have one of the three officers acting as your family's sitter stop it for you...am I understood?" At first, the girls felt rather outraged by this idea; proclaiming that they "needed" their protocol to help "resolve" any serious fights between them. "Correction, ladies; your _parents_ are the only ones who can settle your disputes, not some silly law you made up" Judge Snapper said firmly, "if you even try to use it again, you'll be locked up in Juvenile Hall or tried as adults and put in prison."

Without any other choice on the matter, the Loud Sisters simply gave small nods of agreement. "To be honest, girls; you should be thanking me" Judge Snapper stated, "by agreeing to these terms, your lives will start to get back on track again." The girls said nothing in reply, they only stood in silence; wondering if they would survive any part of the punishment given to them.

Meanwhile, Lincoln ran into the open arms of Carol and her friends; who all proceeded to hug him tight and shower him with kisses. "Isn't this great, Linky" squealed Whitney, "once we're appointed your guardians, we'll become like family and we'll get to hang out as much as we like!" Lincoln was equally overjoyed with the news. But at the same time, he couldn't help but feel some empathy for his family.

Though he felt it was right for the court to find them guilty, he wondered how long they would last in spending summer break doing community service. But then, he recalled a time when his mother was given that punishment. From what he remembered, she got assigned community service on purpose because of not only the simplicity of the job but for the perks as well (namely the peace and quiet.)

With this in mind, Lincoln wondered if his mom or any of his family would be as fortunate now. He also wondered how long Lori would last in Anger Management or Lisa would with her Sensitivity Training. Either way, he hoped everything would go smoothly for everyone.

Finally; the last part of the family's punishment was directed towards the likes of Lisa, Lola and Lynn Jr. "Until the three of you are able to behave appropriately; you are hereby banned from taking part in any child beauty pageants, any extracurricular activities involving sports or performing scientific endeavors without permission" Judge Snapper decreed, "should you violate this rule in any way, you will all be placed into Juvenile Hall until the state decides when to release you." With that said, the judge slammed her gavel and declared that the case was thereby dismissed.

There was much cheering shared for Lincoln's victory, especially from the rest of the Gal Pals. "He won, girls" cried Stella with delight, "Linc won, this is great!" The others couldn't help but agree, not only was the whole mess behind them all now. But by being appointed his legal guardians; Carol and her crew, the oldest members of the Gal Pals, were now bonded to Lincoln for life.

So, by some small extension; this meant the rest of the Gal pals crew were bound to him as well. "Hey, girls; don't hog him" Phoebe shouted excitedly, "we want some of that sugar too!" Without any further delay, the rest of the team joined Lincoln in the biggest of all group hugs. But just before the moment was getting good, Rita suddenly interrupted things by tapping Carol's shoulder.

"Miss Pingrey...or would you prefer Carol, perhaps" she murmured timidly, "either way, I just...I just wanted to say thank you for...for taking up the role of being Lincoln's guardian." For a moment, Carol didn't know if she should respond to the woman's statement. Throughout the trial, she and the rest of the Gal Pals felt nothing but contempt for Rita and the rest of her family. But then, she recalled the moment where Lincoln expressed what he missed about his sisters and what they missed about _him._

She also remembered seeing both sides expressing their love for one another. Even Lori chose to shake off her anger, after so long and show kindness towards Lincoln. After looking back on these moments in question; Carol realized that if Lincoln was willing to forgive his family, so should she.

"You're quite welcome, Mrs. Loud" she said with a tender smile, "in the time I've known him, your son has become a special part of my life and...I'm just really happy he's okay now." Rita and Lynn Sr. couldn't help but agree; while they had difficulty showing it sometimes, they truly _did_ love their son and were equally glad the trial was over. "So...I guess we're gonna be like family, sort of" Becky murmured shyly, "since my friends and I are going to become Linc's guardians and all?"

Of all of them, Leni was rather excited to have some of her friends be connected with her family. But Lisa, while doing her best to act respectable, reminded everyone that the whole matter couldn't happen just like that. "We must first sign the proper paperwork and get it notarized" she stated, "I would offer to do it myself...but as you saw, I'm not as skilled in law as I thought I was."

Soon after this was said, several of the Loud Girls suddenly started to slouch sadly; for this trial showed everyone how they were as equally flawed as they claimed their brother was. Upon seeing his family looking so down, Lincoln decided to help cheer them up with a hug. After being released by Carol, he approached his family and held them close with all the strength he could muster.

"Don't be upset, you guys" he murmured, "we all made some mistakes, I know I have...but all that matters is the whole thing's over now and we can rebuild our lives again." At first; Lori, Luan or Lynn was prepared to make some sort of snappy or corny retort. But then, they took a moment to look over his life up until now.

Despite all his mistakes, all the times he made a few poor decisions, the times he had been punished for said decisions and all the other times he endured being the butt of people's jokes; Lincoln was the same. He was still the "man with the plan," the loyal friend, the creative comic artist and the ever faithful brother/son they all loved. "If we _were_ perfect; then, everything we did would be too easy for us" Lincoln stated, "which means for people like Lynn or Lisa, life wouldn't be quite as fun as it should."

The Loud Sisters shared a hearty laugh at this statement and each one of them happily gave him a big hug. "Take care of yourself while we're doing our community work...okay" Lori instructed, "promise you'll pop by and say 'hi' when you can?" Lincoln said nothing in reply; instead, he smiled at Lori and sealed his promise with a soft kiss on her cheek.

The young blonde was taken aback by this gesture, as she silently rested her hand upon her cheek. Then, after a minute; she smiled back at Lincoln and gave _him _a kiss on the cheek as well. "If I see you guys, I'll definitely make sure to say hi" Lincoln stated, "I might even help pick up some trash for you, if I come across any."

The family chuckled softly at his quip and shared one final group hug. Then, everyone left the courthouse; feeling so much better than when it all began. In the end; while no one would be going to jail, justice was _still_ served and the Louds planned on doing as much service for Royal Woods as they could.

Yes; it would be messy, time consuming and there would still probably be some people who will give them the stink eye for all that's happened. But if doing community service meant they could they could get their lives back in order, they had no choice but to pull up their britches and face their punishment head on. "I dunno which might break me first, girls" murmured Lola, "the community service work or...sensitivity training."

Some of her sisters couldn't help but agree but in their hearts; they knew that as bad as both punishments were, missing summer break while doing them was so much worse. "Now, girls; community service work isn't just litter pick up" Rita interjected suddenly, "there are many other things we might be assigned to along with that." Though they knew their mother meant well, the girls felt her words weren't making the situation any better for them.

"What about Linky, Mom" murmured Leni sadly, "now that Carol and the others will be looking after him, does that mean he's gonna leave us?" Before anyone could answer, the family suddenly heard their phones ringing. Upon answering, they were surprised to see that it was a mass e-mail message sent to them by Lincoln.

At first, Lynn gave a mild grunt of dismay; before presuming he was possibly going to rub his victory in their faces. But when they opened the e-mail; it was a picture of Lincoln and his Gal Pals, giving some sort of group victory pose. Just as Lynn was about to proclaim she was right, everyone suddenly spotted a message above the picture; which read _"good luck out there, you guys, we believe in you. XOXOXO Love, Linc and the Gal Pals."_

Only now did the family realize what the picture was meant to symbolize. Lincoln wasn't gloating about his victory, he was extending good vibes to them; to help make their burden feel less heavy. Once the gesture became clear, the family suddenly felt their eyes welling up with tears. "He always knew how to make our family smile once more" Lisa sniffled with a smile, "it's inconceivable, though...how does he do it; how can he still love us, after everything that's happened?

Each member of the family looked at her, then back at the picture on their phones and soon; bright smiles began to appear their faces. "It doesn't take a genius to see that the answer is rather simple, Sis" murmured Luna, "he's Lincoln." Though the answer was simple; the meaning behind it was as clear as day, to the family. Unlike some of _them_; he was never blinded by petty nonsense, grudges or a selfish need to become popular.

All he ever wanted was for people around him to be happy, even himself. There may have been moments where he made some bad decisions. But the girls now realized that much of the time, it only happened because of they poor advice _they_ or their parents gave him. Nowadays, however; they noticed how different Lincoln was, compared to times before.

Sure; he was still a dork who loved his comics, playing video games, fretted over certain matters and acted shy around some people...much like he did before. But now; the Louds soon started to see another side to their brother/son. Now; was bolder, more confident and more expressive of his innermost self now...all thanks to his new friends.

With the support of people like Carol, Jordan and all of his other new companions; Lincoln had become a new young man, while they still clung on to _their_ petty nonsense. But after today's events; little by little, all that would change and the girls wondered if they'd be able to survive it all. Then, without warning; the loud blare of a car horn shook them out of their trance.

The Louds looked over to see Lincoln inside of a brightly colored van with Carol and the Gal Pals. "Sorry, were you guys falling asleep or something" Lincoln inquired with a slight giggle, "Carol just wanted to give you guys something before we leave." Before anyone could ask what was happening, Carol suddenly tossed a small wad of money towards Lynn Sr.

"It's to help pay off any repairs to your van, Sir" Carol said with a smile, "consider it a repayment for allowing me and my friends to be Linc's guardians." The Loud Family said nothing, at first; they just stared at the money in Lynn Sr.'s hand for a few moments. Then; Lori gave Carol a silent glance, approached the driver's seat window of her van...and smiled.

"Normally, there was a time were you one-upping me would cheese me off" she murmured, "but in this case, I'll happily make an exception...thanks." Carol smiled back at her former enemy and then, both of them gave each other a loving hug; symbolizing that their friendship was slowly on the mend. "So, kids; where are you off too" questioned Rita, "are you ladies gonna drop Lincoln at home or one of your houses?"

In response, Carol said that she _would_ be dropping off Lincoln at his home...but not till later. "After all that's happened, the lil' man needs some time to unwind a little" Dana said while ruffling his hair, "so, we're gonna pop by Flip's to pick up some Flippies and head off to Gus' Games n' Grub after...if that's okay." The Loud Parents stood silent for a few moments, considering the girl's ideas; then, they each offered her a smile.

"Of course he can go with you, ladies" Rita said pleasantly, "just make sure he's home by six and could you pick up some milk for us, on your way home?" Carol gave the family matriarch a proud thumb's up and thanked her for her kindness, while Lincoln gave her a big hug. "Have fun out there, Bro" Lynn Jr. stated while giving Lincoln a high five, "behave yourself for your lady friends...and bring back some garlic knots for us, okay?"

Lincoln gave his athlete sister a "scouts honor" salute and sealed his promise with a quick yet loving hug. After that, everyone said their goodbyes and Carol revved up her van. Then, Lincoln and Co. went off on their way down the road; ready to celebrate a brand new day.

(First AN: And so, the trial ends; not with a bang but with a beautiful collection of colorful moments...like the finale of a fireworks display. Justice has been served to the other half of the Loud Family and, while no one is going to prison or Juvie, what they got instead is a punishment that seems much worse...for some of the girls, at least. But while the trial is over, there's still one more part to the story left to be told.

What will happen next, what does the future hold for the Louds; especially Lincoln. Find out next time in the final chapter of Gal Pals.)

(Second AN: While some of you may, no doubt be upset that the Louds will not be going to jail for everything that's happened. Rest assured, spending summer break doing community service will feel just as bad...for some of the Louds. Not to mention that some of them have also been put on probation, they're being sent to behavior modification classes (i.e. Anger Management and Sensitivity Training,) the parents can't send their kids to Aunt Ruth anymore, the protocol has been made illegal and several of the girls have been banned from some of the things they love.

Compared to all _that, _jail would feel like going on vacation for them.)

(Third AN: By this point, it wasn't just Lincoln or his family taking a "Guilt Trip." Some of his teachers at the elementary school and even Lisa's own teacher expressed their own guilt over what has happened. To a degree, some of _them_ had a hand in some of Lincoln's strife; particularly Mrs. Johnson with how she scolded Lincoln for his family's inability to go green.

More to the point, the guilt wasn't limited to those inside of the courthouse.)

(Fourth AN: Speaking of the courthouse, the scene with the jury was not only meant to be a slight reference to 12 Angry Men. But it's meant to symbolize a sort of...divide within the Loud House Fandom, a divide between those who empathize with Lincoln and those who...for some reason, feel like he deserved the short end of the stick. Over the course of writing this fanfic, I've come across some guest reviews from people within the latter side of the fandom many times over.

Despite their harsh behavior and even some of them outright demanding me to delete this story, I've continued on; just as Lincoln continued to persevere in the series. I'm just happy that after they saw the footage on Lisa's flash drives, the jury was able to come to a unanimous decision.)

(Final AN: From the beginning, Carol and the Gal Pals served as a sort of surrogate family for Lincoln to turn to; during his family's silly fight. But now, thanks to the court order; Carol and her small group of friends have officially _become_ part of the family. May they help guide and protect him, whenever necessary; should Lincoln's parents be unable to do so themselves...for one reason or another.)


	31. Epilogue: A Brand New Day

A Brand New Day

Two months passed by since the trial ended and life in Royal Woods slowly fell back into the status quo. The kids went back to their classes, their parents continued their work in their respective homes/businesses and ol' Mr. Grouse was _still_ yelling at passersby to stay off his property. But while everything appeared to be normal, at first glance; something felt slightly...different in the air.

Within one particular neighborhood of Royal Woods, this was especially so. There were no air horns going off, no explosions, no whoopee cushion noises spluttering, no sports gear crashing through the windows and no sounds of loud bickering. Now, you may be asking why things have suddenly become so calm.

Well, this newfound tranquility is all thanks to the end result of the aforementioned trial. Once the law won in Lincoln's favor, the court _and_ the town worked quickly to put the conditions of the Loud Family's sentence into affect. To start with, both Rita and Lynn Sr. were given permission to go back to work again.

However; as ordered by Judge Snapper, the both of them would perform their work while under mild police surveillance (as part of their probation.) It was also later recommended that once a week, the Loud Parents would attend parenting classes as well (until the court officially grants them leave.) Naturally, they were against it; proclaiming that they already knew what parenting was.

Upon hearing this, Officer Schoffner only gave them a scoff; which seemed to say "if you _did _know how to behave like a parent, how did you end up in court for negligence?" Before either parent could offer up a rebuttal, an officer unceremoniously loaded the Loud Parents inside her car and drove them away. In the meantime; the house was left under the watch of the family's new caretakers...Officers Higgins, Simmons and Campos.

While not tightfisted women, these three made absolutely sure that the Loud Sisters would fall in line and behave appropriately. They allowed Luna to play her music, Lana was still given permission to roll in the mud, Lola still had her tea parties and even Luan cracked a few small jokes every now and again. But due to the court order, the officers made some minor changes to the house's usual business.

Luna could still play music, so long as it didn't short out the town's power or cause too much noise. Lana still rolled in the mud and played with the pets. But of all the ones only _she _herself had, Lana was only allowed to keep four of them; Hopps the Frog, El Diablo the Snake, Izzy the Lizard and Bitey the Rat.

The other animals she had in her room, however were either taken away to live in the wild or to be raised over at Liam's farm. One day, after seeing her pet pig being escorted off the property; Lana vowed to visit her as often as she could. For Luan; the three officers made sure that she didn't go overboard with her puns and informed Funny Business, the joke shop Luan helped out, about her situation.

From that point on; the store vowed that, in order to reduce risk of being shut down, they would never again give Luan any of her usual "Prankpoclolypse" gear. They would also not give Luan anything more than simple gag props (joy buzzers, fake limbs, glass eyes etc.) Anything else was strictly prohibited by order of both Judge Snapper and Mayor Davis.

However, like a struggling drug addict trying to quit; there were moments where Luan suffered a severe relapse. On one such occasion, the three policewomen were momentary called outside of the house to answer a call from the station; leaving Lori in charge for the next hour or so. Once they were gone, Luan went nuts; mumbling to herself "I've gotta pull just one prank...just one! Then, I'm done for _good!_"

With that said, Luan went into work on creating a simple yet still effective prank for the officers; the old bucket of water on the doorway prank. This didn't go unnoticed by the rest of her sisters, however; especially Lori. As she watched her younger sister fill up a bucket while giggling madly, Lori quickly leapt into action.

"Luan, are you literally out of your mind" she hissed in a whispering voice, making certain they didn't wake up Lily or alert anyone listening on their ankle monitors; "do you _want_ to get us into more trouble?!" Alas, the elder sister's words seemed like white noise to the prankster's ears; who clutched at her water bucket protectively. "C'mon, Lori...just one tiny prank" she murmured while giggling frantically, "I just gotta do one and who better to prank than those three pigs?!"

Everyone suddenly tensed up, the moment the "P" word passed Luan's lips. From her mannerisms, her mad giggling and the crazed look in her eyes; everyone could tell that Luan was on the verge of having a breakdown. They only wished she had a different target in mind.

"Sigh! Get it through your head, you mad clown" Lucy said in a hushed tone, "even if this so-called 'joke' of yours is successful, it will only get us into more trouble." Now, here is where Luan actually started to feel conflicted. She knew her little sister was telling the truth.

If she or any of them made one slip-up; there would certainly be some severe consequences, afterwards. But at the same time...she just couldn't hold it in anymore! After several weeks without anything bigger than a joy buzzer handshake prank or a whoopee cushion on a chair, Luan felt like she needed some "serious comedy relief."

"I'm going to put this bucket on the door and that is that" she said in a crazed voice, "you're all welcome to stop me...if you can!" Taking this as a challenge to her (temporary) authority, Lori quickly leapt at Luan and tried to pry the bucket out of her arms. Meanwhile, the rest of the Loud Sisters were desperately trying to get them to calm down...but to no avail.

Then, at that moment; Charles suddenly woke up from his slumber and started barking happily at the door. For the girls, this meant that he might've heard someone pull in. _"Ah, dang it; the fuzz is back" _Lola thought worriedly, _"we've gotta stop this fight or we're sunk!"_

With that in mind, the young (former) pageant princess did everything possible to stop her elder sisters from fighting; all while also trying not to wake Lily up. Unfortunately, neither Lori nor Luan seemed to listen to her...and she _hated_ being ignored. Finally, the doorknob started turning slightly; which made the other Loud Sisters even more nervous.

"Girls, please; you have to stop" Leni begged, "somebody's coming in!" Alas, much like with Lola; _her_ voice went unheard as well. Finally, as the door slowly began to open; Lola was at the end of her rope.

With her fists clenched at her sides and her face scarlet with rage, she opened her mouth and shouted "QUIET" as loud as her lungs would allow. As expected, this loud outburst not only stirred lil' Lily from her nap; causing her to wail loudly. But these combined noises (somehow) managed to shock Lori and Luan out of their fight.

Unfortunately; when the two aforementioned ladies ceased fighting over the bucket, it suddenly flew out of their hands and into the air. This slip up caused everyone to gaze upward in fear, as the bucket started sailing through the air. Then, as the door opened up; Lola and Lori began screaming "NOOO" in slow-motion, while Luan simply cackled like a mad woman.

Everyone watched in horror, as the bucket fell on top of Officer Simmons' head; spilling its contents all over herself and her partners. Once the "prank" was finished, Luan began rolling about on the floor with crazed laughter; all while tears poured out her eyes. This noise seemed to make Lily cry even harder with displeasure.

In an attempt to save themselves, Lori and Lola rushed over to Lily and tried to calm her down...but to know avail. Finally, Simmons threw the bucket off her head, causing it to clatter on the floor and glared at the girls. For a while, no one dared to speak a word; fearing that doing so would only make things worse.

Finally, the three officers all murmured three simple words in unison; "who...did...this?" When no one chose to spoke up, they became rather irritated and asked in a more fierce tone; "WHO DID THIS?!" In that moment, the remaining Loud Sisters all silently pointed towards the other room; where Lori was seen trying to wring Luan's neck.

"You three, in here...now" demanded Officer Campos, "don't make me tell you _twice!"_ Upon hearing her stern voice, the three ladies ceased their bout and stood before the officers. Then, Simmons demanded to know whose idea it was to dump water on the three of them.

Without missing a beat, Lola immediately pinned the blame on Luan; proclaiming that the rest of them were just trying to relax while they still could. "Hey, the court said I could do _one_ prank a day...I was desperate for relief" the young prankster said defensively, "besides, putting a bucket on the doorway isn't _that_ extreme of a prank." Much to the girls' surprise, Officer Simmons said Luan was absolutely right with her defense.

"The 'bucket on the doorway' prank _does_ qualify as one of the 'simple gags' the court approved of" she stated, "however...you are _not_ allowed to use it or _any_ of those pranks on the three of _us!_" As the three officers loomed over them, it was in that moment the girls knew...they were in deep trouble.

(Line Break)

Sometime later; Lori, Luan and Lola were dropped off for another class in Sensitivity Training. After Luan's water bucket stunt _and_ disturbing their youngest sister's sleep, Officer Simmons told the instructor to not dismiss them until they've performed each lesson successfully. Upon taking their seats, the three girls suddenly spotted Lisa and Lynn among their classmates.

"Hey, what are you two doing in here" murmured Lola inquisitively, "I thought _your_ classes didn't start until Friday." At that moment; the class' instructor, a young woman dressed in hippie attire, said that Lisa was sent in early due to an..."incident" at school. "I still do not understand what I did wrong" the wee genius murmured, "all I did was inform Cheryl that she made a number of grammatical errors, while performing morning announcements."

In response, the instructor clarified in saying that Lisa acted rather...viciously; while telling Ms. Cheryl about her errors. "You people don't understand" Lisa grumbled, "she was mispronouncing words that even my baby sister could say correctly...and most of the time, _all she can say is 'poo-poo!'_" The whole time she ranted; Lori, Luan, Lola and the rest of the class couldn't help but think that their sister belonged in here.

Afterwards, Luan turned towards Lynn and asked why _she_ was there so early. "Got into a bit of a tussle at school today" she muttered, "some jerk said he saw me cryin' during the trial and said I wasn't as tough as I claimed to be." Lori hissed worriedly through her teeth and asked what happened afterwards? "I gave the punk a little Indian Rope Burn" Lynn replied, "but I...may have overdone it a little."

The instructor shook her head slightly and said that by the time Lynn decided to stop, the "poor boy's" arm looked like it had been set on fire. "You all have to stop doing all this" she said calmly yet firmly, "if you want to attend graduation or even earn back the trust of the townsfolk, you need to change your attitudes." The five Loud Sisters simply sat in their chairs, slumped over and bitter; feeling like all this would be pointless.

Upon seeing the looks on their faces, the instructor felt the time had come for a visit from her "partner." "Neko-chan, could you come in here for a minute" she called out towards the hallway, "there are some ladies in here who are in need of a hug." A moment later, the girls' eyes widened in shock; as a figure dressed in a fluffy cat mascot costume entered the room.

The character looked like something out of a freaky kid's show; with its oversized arms, big "anime" eyes and freakishly child-like voice. Admittedly, when she first met this character; Lola was overjoyed by Neko-chan's presence. But then, it was revealed that she would be present not just during their sensitivity training classes...but also during anger management.

While there; should the girls or anyone in class act inappropriately, Neko-chan would hug them tight until they would let out their anger or agree to behave. Now, you might think that the likes of Lynn wouldn't allow this thing to get _that_ close to her...and you'd be right. During her first few classes; once or twice, Lynn attempted to fight off Neko-chan whenever she tried to hug her.

But the instructor, all while keeping her usual sweet persona, warned Lynn that if she and her sisters didn't follow the rules; then, she would have no choice but to notify the police. "Should that happen, another day will be added to your sentence" she said softly, "which means you'll end up spending more time with me...doesn't that sound nice?" While at first, she was prepared to challenge the instructor on her threat; something about her smile told her that she wasn't joking.

So, in the end; the girls had no choice but to swallow their pride and take the hugs. In the end, it all felt as they expected; super soft and yet..._super_ awkward at the same time. But as hard as Sensitivity Training was, the girls didn't do any better during Anger Management Class either; especially when the instructor broke out the big guns...insults.

He insulted Luan on her comedy skills, he insulted Lynn Jr.'s athletic abilities, he called beauty pageants pointless...right in Lola's face, he used Lori's word "literally" in the most mockingly obnoxious way possible and as for Lisa; he purposefully recited his plans for the class with all kinds of improper grammar terms. Though his methods were...outlandish (some would even call them mad,) it was all to teach the Loud Sisters a lesson in restraint and self-control. Alas, this was a lesson that would take these particular Louds _weeks_ to master...if at all.

To help give them motivation; the instructors in both classes told Lori and Lisa that if they towed the line, they would be let out early to go prepare for graduation. "I hear that things have been slowly getting back to normal for you all, in terms of your school and social lives" the anger management instructor stated, "do you really want to risk missing graduation...just because you couldn't keep calm enough?" Though they all still felt rather miffed, the young ladies couldn't help but agree.

Even though their summer season would mostly be spent picking up trash, cleaning up sidewalks and who knows what else. For Lori and Lisa, them graduating and either leaving school completely or moving to the next level was a big thing for them. "Plus, next month; I hear your brother is about to graduate from grade school as well" the Sensitivity Trainer said joyously, "I know that...in spite of all that happened, you'd all want to see _that_; right?"

Once again, the instructor spoke the truth; they truly _did_ want to see their brother graduate just as much they wanted themselves to do so. But considering the situation they were in, the girls had a feeling they might be late.

(Line Break)

Speaking of Lincoln, a week or so after the trial was finished; life began to return to normal for him. He went back to his home, reacquainted himself with the family pets (including those like Hopps and Fangs,) brought his things back up to his old closet bedroom and even got to reunite with Bun-Bun. After that; he went back to his old routine of going to school, mingling with his crew and catching up on his work.

Then, one afternoon in May; Lincoln got a call from Officer Schoffner, reminding him to come over to the courthouse before dinner. _"In order to have your friends become your official legal guardians; we will need to sign some papers, first"_ Officer Schoffner said over the line, _"we should also bring your parents over too."_

When he asked why they would need them, Campos informed Lincoln that his parents were required to provide a letter of consent; before anything could become official. "Do you think they _will_ give their consent, though" Lincoln asked warily, "I mean...my folks don't know Carol, Becky, Whitney and Dana as well as I've come to know them." Upon hearing this, Campos could sense a hidden meaning behind the boy's words.

Though he didn't show it on the outside; on the inside, Lincoln was worried his parents would refuse the order. With this in mind; Higgins approached Lincoln from behind, took a knee and placed a hand upon his shoulder. "Sugar, it's true that your folks don't know these girls as well as _you've_ come to know them" she stated, "however, they _do_ understand just how much you care about them and vice versa; so...they can't imagine anyone better to look after ya."

Lincoln couldn't help but smile slightly, suddenly realizing how silly he was being in doubting himself or his friends. "It may take a while for them to get used to seeing 'strangers' looking after one of their own" Campos stated, "but then again, they're still getting used to me and my partners being here!" After that, she and Lincoln shared a good laugh at the little joke with Schoffner joining in over the phone.

After the laughter stopped, Lincoln said they would give his folks a call as soon as possible. _"Great to hear that, young man; we'll catch you later" _Schoffner said happily_ "I'll call the Pingreys and let _them_ know about this too, after we've hung up."_ With that said, everyone said their good-byes and hung up the phones on both ends.

After that, Lincoln found himself bouncing around and cheering with glee. "Watch yourself, lil man or you'll trip over something" Officer Simmons called out from the dining room, "not that I don't like seein' you happy, mind you." Lincoln suddenly realized what he was doing and quickly stopped himself.

"Sorry, Ma'am; I just...I can't believe this is happening" he said with glee, "to think that a month and a half a go, I was having nightmares about ending up in Hell for my family's troubles." The two officers suddenly stiffened at these words, remembering how vividly both Lincoln and Dr. Lopez spoke about the aforementioned dream during the trial. "But now; my family's lives are getting back to normal, I've been sleeping peacefully again and my newest friends are about to become part of my family" Lincoln giggled, "with so much good going on, I can't help but bounce!"

The officers giggled at him and gave him a quick hug; before reminding Lincoln that if he fell over from bouncing and hurt himself, he wouldn't be able to make it to the signing. "Right, sorry about that" he murmured sheepishly, "I'm just bursting with joy right now...something Lucy might find a little weird." At that moment, the girl in question suddenly appeared behind Lincoln; mildly alarming both him and the officers.

"Normally, such an abundance of joy from _anyone_ within the family would feel odd to me" she murmured, "but in this case, I'll make an exception." Feeling mildly confused by her words, Lincoln asked Lucy what she was trying to say. "After being exposed to so many bad vibes in this house for who knows how long; everything is peaceful, once again" she said with a soft smile, "so, I'm more than willing to handle any level of perkiness from anyone today...every once in a while."

After hearing this, Lincoln smiled down at his younger sister and gave her a big hug; expressing how happy he was to be home again. "While I'm loving this lil' hug fest of yours, y'all; it's time to get movin'" Simmons stated, "we gotta get to the courthouse before supper's ready." With that said, they hurried off to the police car and climbed in.

"Girls, keep watch over everything until we get back" Simmons called out to her partners, "we shouldn't be too long." The two other officers saluted their friend, while Lincoln said his goodbyes to his sisters inside the house." Then, the car revved up and they were on their way.

(Line Break)

Moments later, everyone gathered in the jury room of the courthouse. There, the three Loud Family members added their names onto a few pieces of paper. Afterwards, the Pingreys added their names as well; followed by Becky, Whitney and Dana's parents. The last to add their signatures were Judge Snapper herself and Mayor Davis.

"Now, before we continue, I just want to ask again...do you ladies _really_ want this responsibility" questioned the mayor, "while it won't be happening every hour of the day, looking after a preteen minor can be rather involved and I know you girls have your own things to think about." In response, each of the ladies voiced their strong desires to go through with the signing.

Carol: Of course, nothing would make me happier than having Lincoln become part of my family.

Becky: My little sister is around his age and I've been looking after _her_ long before Linc and I even met. So, I'm well prepared for something like this.

Dana: Same here, I'm more than ready for this. Plus, it'll be fun having Linky hang out with me and Chaz more often.

Whitney: Unlike two of my friends here, I don't know what it's like living with a younger sibling. But after being with Lincoln for all this time, I just can't imagine my life without the lil' dude.

The whole time they were talking, Lincoln couldn't help but blush a little from their compliments. _"Wow...these girls really do care about me" _he thought to himself, _"I'll make sure they won't regret their decision."_ Meanwhile, the parents of both sides were equally pleased by the girls' words towards Lincoln.

"I'll be the first to admit that, unlike my Carol; I've only known the boy for a short time" Mrs. Pingrey stated, "but regardless, I speak for all the girls' parents when I say that he has been just as kind to our daughters as they've been with _him._" The other three pairs of parents, along with Mr. Pingrey, then started chattering happily in agreement; which made Lincoln feel rather bashful. "So, in the end; we would all be more than happy to offer our consent in this matter" Mr. Pingrey decreed, "what say you, Mr. and Mrs. Loud?"

For a moment, neither parent offered a response; due to an unsure feeling swirling around inside of them. What would happen if their own daughters went back to their hostile ways and they failed to stop it? Would any of the four girls' families take Lincoln away from home permanently or worse...would the judge bring back the "split them up punishment?"

As their minds became clouded by these fears, neither Lynn nor Rita sensed that something was gripping both of them around their waists. Upon snapping out of their trances, they looked down to see Lincoln hugging them close to him. After a while, he looked up with a sort of tearful expression and sniffled softly. "Don't worry, guys; I'm in good hands here" Lincoln said reassuringly, "besides, as much as I love them...they could never replace you two."

Despite the phrase sounding obviously corny, it did its job in striking a chord in both Lynn _and_ Rita's hearts. "Oh, honey...thank you so much for that" the family matriarch said sweetly, "we love you too." With that said, Lincoln gave his parents a big hug...but not before they signed their names upon the document. After that was finished, both Judge Snapper and Mayor Davis gave the paper their stamps of approval; making the whole thing official.

There was much joy in the room, particularly among the children themselves. As Lincoln leapt into Carol's arms, she and her friends proceeded to nuzzle their little friend like there was no tomorrow. Meanwhile, Rita was notifying each of the girls' parents the necessary information they would need to know about Lincoln; should any emergency situations arise.

(Line Break)

Time passed since the night of the signing and Lincoln, along with many of his OG friends, stood outside of Royal Woods Elementary; in the midst of their big Fifth Grade Graduation Ceremony. In the beginning, Lincoln didn't think he'd be standing here; moments away from receiving his Grade School diploma. Between hiding out from his sisters' big fight, all the Spring Break fun, the nervous breakdowns, the nightmares, the visit with Dr. Lopez and of course, the big trial; Lincoln worried about missing his final exams.

But once the trial ended, the Gal Pals all agreed to help him study. Furthermore, Principal Huggins and his teachers offered Lincoln extra assistance in school; if he needed to catch up. In the end; thanks to all this help, Lincoln took his finals and passed with A's and B's across the board (he even earned a solid "A" from coach Pacowski.)

(Moments before the ceremony)

While he _was_ happy to be going on to graduation, Lincoln still lamented the fact he'd be saying goodbye to some of his favorite teachers and staff (namely Mrs. Johnson and Principal Huggins.) So, to help ease the pain; he made sure to give Mrs. Johnson a special goodbye hug, which she happily welcomed. "Before you leave here, Lincoln" I wish to say something" she murmured suddenly, "I'd like to...apologize."

Confused, Lincoln pulled away from the teacher and asked her why she was apologizing. "After the events of the trial, I realized there were moments where I...I wasn't very fair to you" she sighed, "as a teacher, it's my duty to act fairly yet firmly towards _all_ my students...but I failed three times over with you." The first of these moments in question was in regards to a project he made on his family.

At first, she was prepared to give him an "A." But after being on the receiving end of Luan's stupid bucket of water prank, she knocked it down to an "A-;" as if it was _his_ fault it happened. But much to the woman's surprise, Lincoln simply brushed it off and said there was no real harm done.

"The whole thing was my sisters' fault, anyway" he murmured, "more specifically, it was Luan's." Lincoln then said that in spite of receiving an A-, his parents were still proud of his grade. "But what about the 'Save the Polar Bear Challenge'" she murmured inquisitively, "it wasn't right of me or the other students to single you out for your family's energy uses."

She felt especially guilty with having to remove him from the classroom. Of course; due to the stench he bore that day, it was justified...but she still felt guilty. "Lastly, I should've done something; when your sister, Lisa made things harder for you in class" she murmured, "but instead, I exempted her because of her intelligence."

After hearing all these failings, Lincoln stood silent for a moment or two. Then, he held Mrs. Johnson tight in another hug; which surprised her. "Mrs. Johnson...you messed up" he muttered with a soft smile, "but then again, so have I...many times, in fact."

After the two of them shared a hearty laugh; Lincoln said that despite his flaws, he was still a good person. "The same thing goes for you, Mrs. Johnson" he stated, "besides, you standing up for me in court more than makes up for those bad moments." Touched by his kind words, Mrs. Johnson gave him one final hug and wished him the best of luck in Junior High.

After that, he shared one last goodbye with his teacher and went out the door. Next, he popped by Principal Huggins' office and gave him a goodbye gift; a fully-printed first issue of his new Ace Savvy Comic series, Double Draw. "If you liked the Checkmate series, Sir; you'll love this" Lincoln said proudly, "I even made an alternate version of your Wild Card Willy; gave him a sort of...Jeff Bridges style Rooster Cogburn look."

Upon looking at a splash page with the character in question, Principal Huggins started nodding with approval. The other universe version of Wild Card Willy appeared grizzled, fierce and looked like a man who'd been through the wringer; which seemed to mesh well with the dystopian look of the other earth. He had a full-faced grey beard, wore an eye-patch over the right side of his face, a scar stretching down the right cheek and had a gun belt with a pack of steel playing cards loaded in each holster.

He wore a long, dark brown duster jacket, black leather boots with spade symbols for spurs and black gloves. His most prominent feature was the fact that the back of his coat, both of his gloves and even the center of Willy's eye-patch each bore a spade upon them. Beside the man's face was a dialogue bubble that said "if'n ya wish to play a hand with me...best make sure they're clean as a whistle."

"Very nice, Lincoln; very nice" Principal Huggins said with great approval, "I especially love that line he said, it really shows how tough he is." Lincoln chuckled softly and said he was happy that he liked it. "Keep your eyes peeled, there's more to this story coming soon" he assured, "I've already got an idea for the next issue." Principal Huggins thanked Lincoln for the gift, shook his hand and wished him luck on the road ahead.

After sharing one final good-bye, Lincoln went off on his way. One by one, he said farewell to each of the teachers and staff he came to grow fond of/appreciate. But when the time came to bid adieu to Ms. DiMartino and express his thanks for _her_ help, long ago...he fainted.

Upon realizing what he was planning to say to her; Ms. DiMartino giggled softly, whispered "your welcome, sweetie and good luck" into Lincoln's ear and kissed his cheek tenderly.

(Back to the Present)

In an instant, Lincoln's mind snapped out of his nostalgia trip and he could see it was almost _his _turn to receive a diploma. But as he looked out into the crowd...he was shocked to discover that none of his family was there to witness his big moment. Well...that is to say, his _biological_ family wasn't there to see it.

But after looking through the crowd a third time, he suddenly overheard a shrill whistle ring out from close by. Curious, Lincoln looked over to find Carol and Co. sitting in the middle row; each one of them waving happily at him. Upon seeing the four of them, a broad smile slowly began to form on his face.

Then, a moment later; Lincoln marched his way across the stage and collected his diploma. This caused the four eldest Gal Pals to suddenly shout wildly with delight. Overtime, everyone in Lincoln's class had received their diplomas and they celebrated by tossing their caps high into the air (as custom dictated.)

After each cap landed safely onto the ground, Lincoln ventured out to reclaim_ his_. But before he could put it back onto his head, he was suddenly sacked by a yellow and purple blur. "There he is, there's my graduation buddy" Carol giggled while holding up her phone, which showed a picture of herself at her own ceremony from the day before.

"I'm just so pro..._we_ are so proud of you, Lincoln" she said with delight, "c'mere and let me give you a big ol' kiss to celebrate your big day!" Before Lincoln could interject, Carol suddenly plopped her lips onto his own; delivering a strong yet quick kiss. Once she parted away, ten seconds later; the poor little dude's face was glowing like a street light.

"Uh-oh, Carol...I think you may have broken him" Becky giggled, "and we didn't even get a turn yet." Feeling guilty, Carol cradled her young friend in her arms and carried him over to her friends; who proceeded to shower him with nuzzles and small kisses of victory. The whole time this was happening; Clyde, Rusty, Liam and Zach stared dumbfounded at the scene.

But inside each of their mind, the boys thought the same thing; _"wait to go, Lincoln...you lucky stiff."_ When Lincoln eventually recovered from the kiss, he thanked the girls for coming to see him. At the same time, however; he felt mildly upset that his family didn't show up.

"About that, Linky...there's something you should know" Dana interjected, "they and your sisters were planning on coming...but they got held up in class." As a way to offer up a bright side, Carol took out her phone and she asked Lincoln to look at the screen. The boy did as instructed and was surprised to see his family watching him via a webcam.

"Hiya, honey; congratulations on graduating" Rita said with great pride, "so sorry we couldn't make it, the Anger Management Class here had a bit of a mock scenario thing going on...and some of your sisters took it too far." She then moved the phone over and Lincoln saw his sisters Lynn and Lola being squeezed by a giant cat. "I'd ask what's going on with that cat thing...But something tells me it's a long story" he murmured, "I'm just happy you could watch me through the phone's webcam."

Next, Dana held up _her_ phone to reveal his other sisters at the house; all of whom were waving happily at him. "Hi, Linky; sorry we couldn't come to the ceremony in person" Leni mumbled sadly, "but Miss Higgins, Simmons and Campos had to leave to monitor the stuff happening at everyone's classes." Lincoln nodded slightly in understanding, informing everyone that their parents told him everything.

"Congrats on gettin' your diploma, dude" Luna said happily, "we're all super proud of you, even Lori is." As if on cue, Carol's phone suddenly beeped and she discovered it was a video message for Lincoln. Curious, Carol pressed play and showed the screen to the boy in question.

"Hey, twer...I mean; Hi, Lincoln" she muttered, "I'm sorry I couldn't come see your big day, Lynn made a scene up here and...well...as the saying goes; when one person fails, we _all_ fail." Lincoln found himself chuckling slightly; not at Lori's punishment, mind you but at the irony of everyone being punished for Lynn's error. "I just wanted to say...congratulations, I'm proud of you and...I'm sorry again for what happened before."

Lincoln found himself clutching tenderly at his heart, feeling genuinely touched by his sister's words. "Hope you'll have a fun summer, behave yourself at home and...try not to drive the ladies too far up the wall" she said with a giggle, "I'm just kidding on the last part, Bro; peace out, love ya and have a good summer!" After that, the video stopped, and the other Louds said their best wishes to Lincoln as well.

"Enjoy the rest of your day, Son" Lynn Sr. exclaimed, "we all love you and we hope to see you, when you and the...what do you call your crew, the Gal Pals, see us; whenever you're doing your own thing." After that, Lincoln shared his love as well and the video feed cut off. Seconds later; Jordan, Cristina, Kat, Stella and Haiku arrived beside Lincoln and hugged him tight.

"Alright, gals; there will be plenty of time for hugs later" Carol called out, "everybody, climb aboard the van." Without a moment's pause, everyone hurried inside of the vehicle; with Lincoln sitting shotgun up front. "So, ladies; how should we celebrate the end of the school year" Lincoln asked casually, "any ideas?"

Carol smiled tenderly at her young charge and ruffled his hair. "First thing's first, dearie; we've gotta head down and pick up the rest of the gang" she stated, "afterwards...we'll start making our plans." With that said, everyone saluted with a hearty "YES, MA'AM" and the van went off on its way.

(Line Break)

An hour later, Carol's van was seen traveling through downtown Royal Woods; now with Cici and Phoebe loaded in with them. "Well, now that everyone's present and accounted for, how should we celebrate the start of our break" Phoebe murmured thoughtfully, "I'm thinking we head down to the beach!" After a moment, everyone dismissed the idea; proclaiming that while a good one, it was far too late in the day to go to the beach.

"What about Gus'" Jordan said suddenly, "that's the place that started all this, why not visit for nostalgia sake?" Everyone tapped their chins in thought and, much like with the beach option, felt that this was a good idea. But unfortunately, no one felt in the mood for pizza or garlic knots today.

"I say we save that for Saturday night" Cici suggested, "but for now...oh, darn; I can't think of anything!" Truth be told, after several days of taking tests; everyone's minds were far too burned out to think of any ideas. Then, all this suddenly gave Lincoln a brilliant idea. "Girls, I think I've got just the thing" he murmured, "it's a brand new month and you know what I think we've been overdue for?"

For a minute to two, the girls wracked their brains as best as they could; trying to decipher Lincoln's riddle. Then, Carol started thinking about the clue he gave; "a brand new month." That was when it all started to come in as clear as day.

"I think I know what he's talkin' about, ladies" she chuckled, "after all our working and studying...what can you think of that would make it all _wash_ away?" Upon hearing the keyword "wash;" the answer to the riddle became perfectly clear, "SPA DAY!" But while most of the crew was buzzing with joy at the idea, Haiku wasn't feeling it.

"That _does_ sound like a great way to relax, girls" she murmured, "but...all that primping and makeup doesn't quite sound like _my_ thing." Everyone suddenly groaned with disappointment, immediately realizing the minor flaw in their plan. But then, Lincoln got out his phone and decided to check the itinerary for anything Haiku might actually like.

A minute later, he discovered something within the "new to the spa" area of the website; sand baths. "I think I might've heard about those in school" Dana murmured, "but aren't they usually done in Japan...specifically near volcanic hot springs?" The rest of the gals (sans Carol and Haiku) brought up the website on _their_ phones and did a quick read through of the bath's description.

"Oh, this is cool" Stella said with delight, "they take some normal sand (though they don't specify _where_ they get it from) and heat it inside of this weird little machine thingy." She then explained that patrons sit inside of large tubs and once the sand reached the proper temperature, they pour it over them." Upon hearing the idea of being buried, Haiku felt mildly intrigued.

But then, she realized that they might only bury her up to her neck and _not_ over her head; like she thought. Still, they idea of bathing in sand was something she never heard of before. "I think I might actually join up with the rest of you" she said with a smile, "not just for the sand bath...but I've been having trouble applying my favorite midnight blue nail polish, sometimes."

With this reveal; it gave Jordan, Stella, Cristina and Phoebe the perfect thing to start out with at the spa...MANI PEDIS! "It's settled, then" Carol decreed with joy, "first, we hit the spa and then; we head off for something to eat." After that, everyone began to discuss ideas of where to have dinner; after the spa.

While this is going on, Lincoln turns to the screen to address the viewer. "Things are looking up for me, everybody" he said with a bright smile, "my family's safe at home again, their lives are getting back to normal, the trial's over, we've all made amends and to top it off...I'VE GRADUATED GRADE SCHOOL!" But in an instant, his joy slightly gave way to a bit of doubt.

"To tell you the truth, though...I'm a little nervous about what Middle School might bring; after Summer Break is over" he murmured, "will the stuff that happened to me months ago repeat all over again or...will I meet students who are meaner than Lori or Lynn on their _worst _days?!" Before he could continue, he suddenly felt Carol's index finger press lightly against his lips; signaling him to speak more quietly. Confused, Lincoln looked over to see Carol talking casually on the phone.

At first, he thought she was simply chatting with another friend of hers. But then, Carol mentioned something about "two booths for a party of eleven." He couldn't help but wonder who his friend and guardian was speaking with, at the moment.

Then; Carol thanked the speaker on the other line, hung up her phone and smiled at her crew. "Great news, all" she called out happily, "I reserved us two booths at Jean Juan's for dinner tonight; all in favor, shout 'Gal Pals!'" Without any hesitation, everyone quickly shouted out "GAL PALS" as loudly as they could; even Lincoln couldn't help but say it.

"It's settled, then" Carol giggled with excitement, "first, we relax our bodies and then, we fill our bellies." With that said, the van made its way down in the direction of the Tranquil Springs Spa. As everyone around him merrily chanted the words "Gal Pals;" Lincoln smiled softly at them and faced the viewer, once again.

"You know what, I don't think I have anything to worry about" he muttered happily, "I've got my sisters, my parents, my old BFFs and my _new_ ones right here to help watch over me." With all this in mind; Lincoln concluded his final thoughts in saying "as long as they're watching my back and I'm watching _theirs_, the future looks bright."

The End

(First AN: There you have it, folks; after almost six months or so of work, Gal Pals has come to an end. Lincoln is still in one piece, his family got some much deserved justice for their actions and the Gal Pals...or at least; in terms of Carol, Becky, Whitney and Dana, have all officially become part of Lincoln's family and he theirs.

To a certain extent, the rest of the crew counts as family as well. But the four older gals in question actually have the proper paperwork. In any case; life is looking up for Lincoln, from this point on.

Many people have suggested the idea of me making a sequel to this story...and part of me thinks the idea is good. But another part thinks this feels more appropriate as a stand alone story. _However..._if you wish to see the Gal Pals again, you can find them in my other fanfic; Dungeons, Dragons & Dames and my future story, Double Draw.

Until then, enjoy reading the conclusion and have a great day.)

(Second AN: I wish to take a moment to thank everyone who supported me and this story. Thank you DreadedCandiru2, Cabgrant, Momijifan Low-Ki, RawToonage press, Geo Soul, ko777, The Storyteller993, heavy5comando, Dread55, Yellowpikmin88, Jster1983, Darkness Rissing, That Engineer, Wolvenstrom, SpartanXHunterX, Engineer1869, Mr. Freeman, GennaiArakida-XIV, Gold Testament, 1049, Delquea, Mpatton17, Mr. Haziq, Joanne Frances Tiano Cajilig, Zeobide274, FrancisVamp0822 and everyone else who reviewed, favorited and/or followed this story.

If I have neglected to mention you in my thank you's, I apologize; this fic has almost five-hundred and fifty reviews...something I was _not_ expecting to see and most of them were some guest reviews. Regardless, due to my Hydrocephalus; it can be difficult for me to remember stuff clearly. So...seriously, thank you all so much for your feedback and support; it's all highly appreciated.)

(Third AN: Speaking of thank you's, I wish to thank crafordbrian17 for requesting me to make this story. While some of his suggestions for certain scenes felt either...too weird or they didn't quite belong in the story itself, I did my best to make this in the way you wanted it. If it didn't turn out that way, I'm sorry; I was just giving the rest of my readers what they really wanted from the story.)

(Fourth AN: If some of you think the behaviors of Lola, Lynn Jr., Luan and Lori were a "major 180" from how they behaved in the last chapter. Bear in mind that they are having what is known as relapses, which is where someone tries to quit cold turkey on something. But somehow, they feel almost drawn to go back to their old vices.

With Luan, for example; because the court forbade her from using her "Prankpocalypse" gags, she is behaving like how she did in Undie Pressure. She's struggling to keep herself in check...but has trouble with self-control. This same thing applies with the other four Loud Sisters who are condemned to attend Anger Management and Sensitivity Training.

I hope that all makes sense to you, everyone.)

(Fifth AN: Speaking of punishments; as per request from one of my readers, Lynn Sr. and Rita have also been sent to parenting classes. I'll leave it up to all of you to decide if it all helped them or not.)

(Sixth AN: I also found it fitting that Officers Higgins, Simmons and Campos, the officers who helped keep Lily happy during the trial, would be appointed the Louds' official caretakers. As intimidating as Lori might be as a babysitter, no one would dare challenge the authority of an officer of the law; am I right?)

(Final AN: Sorry if the paperwork scene seemed mildly confusing to any of you, gang. I'm not well-versed in matters of law; so, I tried to make up the scene as I went along while using while using whatever knowledge I had on the procedure of becoming a guardian for someone.)


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